How do I keep my babies cool?

[redrodeo]

The tempter here is getting really hot. to the point that by 6am in the moment their heat lamp gets unplugged as the brooder house gets so hot, during the day and doesn't start cooling off till around 9pm - 10. It was 110*F today in the shade, and its dry heat. Its supposed to be the same tomorrow with tempters rising a bit more. My adult birds have shallow tray's of cool water to stand in during the day and we leave the man door on the coop open for them. I don't want to give the chicks a tray of cool water yet as they will be a week old on Tuesday, and they are still to small for it. I can't leave the brooder house door open for them either as he was big rattle snakes here that love to come out during the heat of the day. I have given them a small tray of damp dirt for them to scratch around in as well as a jug for frozen water to lay next to, but they still seem to be panting lots.I am very worried about one of them as I almost lost him when he hatched (had to do an assisted hatch with him and still almost lost him), and he is very tinny compaired to the others and still a bit weaker then them. I can't bring them in the house as our house is just as warm as out side as we have no air conditioning except for one room that has fans that is the cat and dogs room that they can come and go from during the heat of the day.

I was wondering if anyone else has any ideas as to what I can do to help keep my babies cool during the heat of the day.

 

[Talithahorse]

I too have little ones and I have been turning off their brooder lamp at daybreak and then turning on a fan which doesn't blow directly on them but provides indirect air circulation and they have been fine.
I also read somewhere you can put a frozen water bottle in front of the fan to cool it off even more but I haven't needed to do that.

 

[IceAngel]

I have given them a small tray of damp dirt for them to scratch around in as well as a jug for frozen water to lay next to, but they still seem to be panting lots.
I was wondering if anyone else has any ideas as to what I can do to help keep my babies cool during the heat of the day.

I wonder if you can freeze cookie trays of ice for them and cover that with a mat or an old piece of carpet. I really like your wet dirt idea but it probably dries out fast in 100 degrees temp.

If you put the water in a plastic bag before you set it on the cookie sheet to flatten out, you won't be getting the cookie sheet dirty. They probably wont sit directly on the ice but if you covered it with a mat or old carpet they may.