how can i cool off my chickens?

[eggy n nibbler]

hey guys

it has started to get hotter during the day and i wondering what can i do to cool down the chickens could i put a sprinkler in the yard for a little while or if anyone know off any ideas please feel free to tell me some ideas

cheers em

first time chook mumma

 

[Baralak]

Lol.. You must be from the land down under.. it's cold here in the states!

 

[eggy n nibbler]

yeah im from australia in brisbane

got any ideas what to do to cool them off?

cheers em

 

[chickensbythesea]

Chickens aren't super fond of getting wet, shade is a much better thing to offer. Drinking water as well, they'll need to stay more hydrated as the temperature rises. I usually throw ice in their waterers to keep it a little cooler. As long as they've got somewhere shady and breezy, or at least very well vented, they'll be happy.

 

[rearrolled]

hay im from perth and my chooks just stay in the shade and have sand baths i cep there water full at ALL TIMES!!!!!!

 

[Judy]

If you can get them to stand around in a wading pool or similar thing, it will help. Some chickens seem to have trouble accepting this. One poster from down there was going to try gloating bits of greenery like cabbage leaves to entice them; never heard how it came out. Mine won't go near a sprinkler; the water wouldn't get down to their skin in most places anyway. A few times when they really looked overheated, I picked them up and bodily dunked them and swished them around a bit, then let them run around wet til they dried.

 

[justbugged]

If you can freeze fruit or other treats before you give it to them, it seems to help some. I get a watermelon and put it into the freezer for a day or two, then I cut it up in to chunks and let them at it.

 

[mulewagon]

We spread a tarp in summer, over the top of the coop and out to the sides. We put up some posts to anchor it. The coop is entirely of wire, no sides at all. So that gives them a big shady, breezy area.

Make sure they have an area where they can dig - they'll make deep holes and rest in the cooler ground. I also give them ice water a couple of times a day.

We're in a hot, humid climate, so I wouldn't try wetting the chickens. But in a very dry climate that might help.

 

[rolffamily]

Did you ever hear the phrase "madder than a wet hen". I'd rethink the sprinkler if I were you.

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
When it's hot here, I take empty soda bottles and fill them with water and put them in the freezer. When the afternoons are warm, I put the bottles in the coop with the girls for them to lay up against them. They stay pretty cool for a couple of hours. I freeze 4-6 bottles a day and put in 2-3 bottles at a time, twice in the afternoons (that's when it gets 95-105+ here, and we have low humidity where I live). I'll float ice cubes in the waterers, as well.

If I have watermelon (or even just the rinds) or anything like that for them, I'll freeze it after dinner & then the next day when it's hot, they have "chicken popsickles" for treats. They like fresh tomatoes and fresh greens from the gardens in the summertime, too. And it is recommended not to feed them scratch or a lot of foods that generally "warm up" their systems in the wintertime.

I have been known to run an extension cord out to the coop with an oscillating fan, blowing the air around when it's hot & dry and the air's not even moving. Not that my chickens are spoiled or anything.

I don't know what I would have to do if I didn't have the blessing of being able to work from home.