how hot can they stand?

[melinda342]

I live near austin texas and it gets really hot in the summer. it has been in the upper 90s-over 100 degrees. how well do chickens (i have silkies and barred rocks) tolerate the heat? they have shade. do they need fans or anything? and i plan on building a coop. What would be the maximum heat in a coop?

 

[tammye]

build the coop in a shady spot first off, with plenty of ventilation, make sure you cover any open areas with a 1/4 inch wire secured with screws. you need to protect them from predators as well as the heat. a fan may be necessay in your area and plenty of cool water and cool treats on hot days like watermelon, not sure how hot is to hot, but had one of my girls the other day panting from the heat and it was only 80 degrees out, I live in New Hampshire, so my problem is the cold. I kept her in a cool area with water and food and she is fine. I have read here that chickens can die of heat stroke, so you will need to take percautions to keep them cool on severe days. hope someone can give you some good tips

 

[Vickir73]

the heat has been my concern also. I'm in the Livingston area (about 100 miles north of Houston) and my girls are already panting. My full grown chickens include Easter Eggers, Barred Rocks, Sex-Links, and Light Brahams. I have 33 chicks, which include Marans and EEs. I think I'm going to have to run electricity out to the coop to put a fan out. I've got plenty of ventilation space, but once this wind stops, it's gonna get HOT!!

 

[jjthink]

Heat can kill. And does kill all too many. You'll see many sad threads here on BYC with birds perishing from the heat. You will also see many threads here on BYC on how to make them as comfortable as they need to be to survive.

- Fans, fans, fans (some also do AC in particularly hot areas - can provide huge peace of mind)
- Cold cold drinking water (big chunks of ice in the water [or frozen bottles of water placed in the water] will last a lot longer than cubes)
- Cold fruit at intervals (I like to freeze slices of watermelon and put them out - I also give grapes, blueberries and lots of other fruits)
- Shade shade and more shade
- Some folks put shallow pans of water out and some birds like to cool off by standing in the water - my birds refuse to do this
- Some folks get misters which help cool the air -my birds hate the water

Many birds start getting uncomfortable when it's more than 80 degrees and if it's humid, it's way worse. At 90 degrees and especially if humid, many can begin to struggle. If they're panting they are too hot. Prolonged heat is worse than a very short spell (an afternoon) of heat.

We're going to have a grizzly heat index of 105-115+ here the next 2 days - I have to work so am going to have to keep my birds inside with fans and AC (wish I could give them a couple hours outdoors in the a.m. so they don't get bored senseless but the work thing messes with that). I finally got an AC last July 4th weekend after a staggering number of days of insane heat and humidity with a forecast of a summer with unrelenting temps (which did indeed occur). My roo can tolerate heat better than my hen (likewise, she tolerates cold and he hates it) so I cool or heat to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.

JJ

 

[ISayWhatThe]

I have this dilemma right now, we have four days of 40-43 degree here, that's 100-110 odd. I've got heaps of water, and there is shade, they are panting. They are two month old cochins and look a little too fluffy for their own good in this heat. I think I will leave a hose running in their outdoor pen bit but they seemed overly shocked when I tried this for fun the other day.

 

[pwand]

I have sprayed down the run with a hose doing it a few times during the day, i have read people would put out containers of frozen water and the birds would lay up against them.

 

[ten chicks]

Very important if you see a bird showing signs of heat stress/stroke to immediately submerge them into a pail of cool(NOT cold)up to their neck,this will immediately drop their body temp and has the potential to save lives. A chickens normal body temp is around 107 degrees,when it reaches around 113 degrees,they are in danger of succumbing to heat stroke. Chickens have no sweat glands,they rely on their respiratory system to cool them down this is why you see panting/wings spread,etc. With heat stroke you will see hard panting,wings spread,birds will become lethargic and unresponsive,cool them down asap if you see symptoms.

 

[Fancychooklady]

We are having a heat wave. I place frozen peas in their water in the hottest part of the day. Mine have a hazelnut tree that they all hang around, so I spray water in the top and let it trickle down. Tomorrow is going to be hotter.

 

[Sarevan]

We are having a heat wave. I place frozen peas in their water in the hottest part of the day. Mine have a hazelnut tree that they all hang around, so I spray water in the top and let it trickle down. Tomorrow is going to be hotter.

That is a good idea, air conditioning from the tree. When we get our hot weather I have straw bales that I place around the run and soak them down with water then lean boards over them and the run providing shade and cooling. The watt
water usually chases bugs into the run. The girls are inside scratching and eagerly looking. We can get temps 100+ for days in a row from June to August. During the hottest part of day I will wet down the boards too, makes for a cooler spot for them to lounge about.

 

[ISayWhatThe]

Good advice, comforting to read your views! I am lucky I think, or they are, instead of a hazelnut I have a walnut tree that drapes over them, and then their pen roof is shade cloth. Spraying it all does create a micro climate.

It's the end of day 1 of 4 days of +40 degree heat and they are through it so am confident they will see the next 3 out even if they have to pant a bit. Little fluffy clouds they are.