Hi everyone!

Cest La Vie · Oct 11, 2015

Hello everyone!

Happy to be here! I've always wanted chickens but never could have them because unfortunately, we lived in an apartment. Finally, we bought our first home with a spacious backyard and my dreams finally came true!

I have some chicks and some pullets currently, but am adding more to my flock! The local feed store gets shipments every Friday and by now, they know me by name! Haha.

I cannot wait for my girls to start laying eggs. I've never tried or tasted a real free range egg from happy hens.. so I wonder if the difference will be extraordinary!

My girls are all spoiled and a part of my family.

Just one question - it's really hot here right now, what can I do to help them along? Also, what are the signs of heat stress? I've been dunking them in water every hour or two but am not sure if that is enough or if that is good for them.

Thanks! Excited to meet you all!

N F C · Oct 11, 2015

Our flock has to put up with a lot of heat and humidity here in Florida. We can tell they are getting hot when they pant and they hold their wings away from their bodies.

Some of the things we do to make them as comfortable as possible are:
* Provide shade, lots of natural and man-made shade
* Set out extra waterers and put frozen water bottles in them to keep the water cool
* Use a box fan in the coop, set up so it doesn't blow directly on them, but helps circulate the air
* Give them cooling treats like melon, grapes and cucumbers
* I don't let them out for supervised free ranging during the heat of the day. Their run is covered and gives a lot of shade and I don't want them overly excited or running around
* Give them something to dust bathe in
* We set out a shallow tub of water for the birds to wade in (some have success with kiddy pools but our girls won't use one)
* Some people use a misting system.

That's all I can think of for now. Try using the search box in the upper left corner of your screen to find other ideas.

Thanks for joining us!

drumstick diva · Oct 11, 2015

NorthFLchick has given you very good suggestions - is you have very young chicks, keep them in a cool part of your house. You can also post on your state thread and find out how others handle the heat.

Teila · Oct 11, 2015

Howdy Cest La Vie and Welcome to BYC

Congratulations on your new home and becoming new chicken parents.

Living in a hot climate I agree totally with the great suggestions that NorthFLChick has already given.

Just a couple of extras to add … you can occasionally switch out the frozen water bottles for frozen vegies, like peas and corn .. not only does it help to keep their water cool but it might take their mind off the heat and let them have some fun bobbing for vegies

Besides the dust bath, I also damp down a section of the run so that they can lay on the cool earth should they choose to.

My gals to do not like water but do not seem to mind a light spray with the ‘spray’ setting on the watering gun on those really hot days.