How to keep chickens cool in the heat. Tips wanted!

[PrairieChickens]

It was brutally hot here last summer and I nearly lost a couple of hens to the heat even with a mister going, so I got creative. I built a couple of small structures out of cinderblocks my dad had lying around, put a roof over them, and then ran the mister on one or the other (I switched it every day or so to avoid the risk of disease from the soggy ground.) The water soaked into the blocks, and as the breeze blew, the water evaporated, cooling the inside of the structure. Once I showed my chickens how to use the structures, they had no more problems. They'd go in when they got too hot, and come back out when they'd had a chance to cool off.




A few of our hens chillin' inside of the "cool box" I built. I also constructed breezeways for hens who preferred to be in a less confining space. As an added bonus, the chickens would stand in the trays of water where the water dripped from the roof, and loved to drink from the overflow. The hardest part about this whole project was getting the hose on just the right setting that it barely misted the bricks without over-saturating them, but not so lightly that it didn't cool off enough.

 

[PoultryPedia]

Wow!!! A great idea!!!

Inexpensive, too!
I imagine that it would still work quite well even if someone didn't have a mister. You could probably pour or hand-spray water on the bricks once or more each day & still get quite a bit of coolness.

I used to pour water in some shavings or a bin of sand for the chickens during heat, but mold was a problem. I now pour water in a well-draining sand area (which I also use a shovel to dig loose every now & then). Oxine and vinegar are good mold inhibitors, so I often add a little of one of those to the water to help keep the area healthy. That might be good for water on bricks, too.

Caution: I believe mixing Oxine with vinegar has the same effect as mixing Oxine with citric acid--the Oxine becomes "activated" and then you have to avoid exposing your birds to fumes until it's dry. Therefore, only use either Oxine OR vinegar in any water to which your chickens will be exposed.

 

[ramonaegglady]

We live up in the hills northeast of San Diego (high desert). Summers get very hot with temps above 100 degrees (dry heat). We have put up shade cloth (from Home Depot) around our two coops to provide shade. Both coops are built up above the ground so everyone can lounge underneath in the cool earth. Also fill their dusting holes with water in the afternoon so they can cool down in the mud (which they love). My husband built a raised dusting bin that is about 24 inches high, 18 inches deep, and 10 feet long. I water the bin down well every day and all the girls and the rooster jump in to enjoy the coolness. Thanks for all the great tips - had never thought of freezing water bottles or offering frozen veggies. Will integrate these ideas, too!

 

[shotzy007]

I use the lids to storage bins about 2 inches deep and about 2' by 1' , filled with water open a sack of frozen peas in the middle. They wade in after the peas, and my HUGE brahmas, likes to lay her breast down in the water while looking around for the peas. The 2 liter water bottles are great inside the coop and I usually find them inside laying next to them. I used small individual frozen water bottles inside their waterer. Britches, our Buff Lace Brahma pants mouth really wide open, but she is the heaviest. We have shade cloth covered the window closest to the hen houses. Keeps some of the heat out.
They love frozen watermelon! Keeps them cool and hydrated, and our poop bar full.

 

[whitt910]

I live in Southern California and it is suppose to be extremely hot here this weekend, anywhere from 100-120

I have barred rocks, rhode islands, and orpingtons and have noticed in the last few days since it has started to warm up that they are getting hot. They're free range during the day and go up at night. I've been freezing gallon jugs and putting in in their water and it keeps it cool and giving them frozen fruits during the day. I have read on the-chicken-chick.com that it isn't good to give them food, especially scratch because of the corn, or to visit them too much during the day because the digestion and moving around causes their body temperature to rise, the exception is frozen treats. She also recommended freezing mint, fruit, or veggies in small containers with water and adding a string so you can hang it and they have something to keep them cool all day. Also she recommended a mister which i found at home depot for $10.00 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-Cobra-Mistand-10057W/100373188#.UcsWhZUTFFI) and that helps. Hopefully all of this will help keep the girls cool.

 

[sphillips]

I live in southern NM, and we've had 100+ degrees everyday for the last few weeks. I freeze gallon jugs of water and place them out around the coop in the morning. Then hens will lay by them to keep cool. I also provide them with a 'pool' (an old sled I found) which I fill with water every morning and throughout the day as needed. I freeze small containers for ice to put in the pool in the afternoon when it really gets hot. We've had to cut more openings in the coop for airflow, which does help a lot when the wind blows a bit. The hot still days are still a battle though. My chickens don't get many treats, but I've read that the frozen treats are good for them. Also, they do need food, and plenty of water, but I've heard that scratch contains corn that can raise body temp, and that's better fed in the winter. No expert, but this is what we've done. Good luck with the heat! I feel your pain!

 

[whitt910]

Sorry i didn't mean not to feed them at all, just not to feed them in the heat of the day. Mine are free fed so they have the ability to eat all day if they want, but I have noticed that they don't eat a lot during the heat of the day. Hopefully with the misters and ice blocks full of treats i can keep them cool enough...

 

[sphillips]

whit910: My chickens eat a lot less in the heat too. I also noticed that when the weather got hot, they had a hard time at first, but seemed to adapt fairly well over about a weeks time. (They are all still young birds). They do still pant some in the late afternoons, but seem to handle the heat much better then they initially did. Makes for good exercise going out to the coop umpteen times a day!

 

[whitt910]

sphillpis: I have young birds too, they're like 4 months old and at first they had a hard time. They still pant in the evenings but are adjusting better.

 

[RaniaH]

I've read that giving hens frozen watermelon helps keep them cool but they have no interest in it, could I put it in their waterer to see if they get use to the taste?