How do I help my chickens in Excessive HEAT?

[Cherrypie]

Quote:
That's a great idea!

 

[tomato lady]

I tried misting my flock today and I really got a reaction. I had chickens running into their coop as fast as they could go.

Maybe my mist was too heavy.

 

[brwneggs]

Its hot here with high humidty. I took out half a cold watermelon and cut it up. Boy, they could not eat the chunks fast enough when I threw them in. I already have a fan outside the run, but I may end up putting a cold wet sponge in front of it. I did put a shallow pan with cold water and ice cubes, but they dont like the idea too well. And forget the hose, they hate the water hose.

 

[MakNugget]

It's finally getting hot here and I had to make some ventilation adjustments myself to help keep them cool. One of the tricks I tried that seem to work really well is burying frozen pop bottles in the bedding. I have deep litter going on and I take the bottles and wrap them in ziplock bags and bury underneath the bedding this morning. I did the same thing last evening with disposable freezer gel things that was shipped along with some perishables that I had in the freezer for reuse and this morning they were still partially frozen. I have one of those temperature guns and the bedding (pine shavings) does a fine job at insulating.

 

[darkmatter]

Shade and misting is probably the only thing you can do for the time being. For the long term, have trees in your run. My chicken coop/run was in a sunny area and hot for the first few years, it's now cool even in the heat of the summer due to the large mature Illinois everbearing mulberry trees I planted when I built it. (See my BYC page)

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
X2
Mine sit on and lay next to their frozen bottles of water. And they like to drink the condensation that forms on the outside of the bottles. A tray of water in the shade also gives them the opportunity to get their feet cool...

 

[LeezyBeezy]

I have been giving cold treats and putting big ice cubes in the waterers- one for the little girls (@ 10 weeks) and one for the two hens. They were panting yesteday. I just put a fan in the coop, hope it works. The little girls looked at it like it might have teeth!! I'm just hoping they figure it out. It's about 86 here today, small breeze, so the larger gals are out in the shade, roaming. They seem OK.

 

[featherz]

I have cold melon and frozen bottles plus several large pans of water that I've been changing out to keep cool and a fan. Lots of shade. They are still panting now and then but do not look overly distressed. Heat index right now is 105 (real temp 97 with huge humidity). It's all I can do! I am glad I am home this week or I'd just end up with fan, lots of pans of water and lots of frozen stuff that will have unfrozen by now.
Fortunately both my coop and run are almost entirely in the shade and under a tree until around now (5PM) when the sun is hitting it.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

We are over 106 out here. And I go out there about four or five times a day and spray their area with cold water and change their water to cold water. I put ice cubes in their water too. I freeze fruits and veggies and bring those out several times a day. I also use ice packs and line the sides of their nesting boxes. Sadly I did loose one of my Copper Maran hens today. Not sure if she died of heat stroke or egg bound. She felt egg bound and I found her dead around a crushed egg. I am bummed. I have far to many to bring them inside. I already have the rabbits in the house.

 

[elmo]

The only thing that seems to be really helping here is to park our tractor in the yard's deepest shade, then hose it down with water every hour or so (I let the birds out first and move them back in afterwards). None of my birds will stand in water pans, so this is the only way I can get their feet cooled.