How to Keep Chickens Cool in Upcoming Heat Wave?

[Grandmas Coop]

The Coop is Closed until 9pm​

I shut the door, it is 101 in there again at 3pm- I had to push the chicks out.
I set the young chicks up by the run gate in the shady and it is 10 degrees cooler than the coop. I have been going out every 45 min to check on them.

 

[Coralista]

Hope everyone is staying cool. I'm in PDX and struggling with the heat as well. Today sucked. I've got 8 count - 8 week old ladies.

I've been giving Sav-A-Chick/Chick Boost for hydration, adding ice to the mix. We have been using a collapsible puppy play pen to we can make sure there is not direct sun,100% shade, freezing large chunks of ice, etc. I even ran an extension cord to them and put a fan directed into the pen, but they still didn't seem like they were able to cool down. They were laying next to the ice, on the ground, and not interested in food. When it cracked 101 (4pm?) I said the hell with it, grabbed them, put them back in their brooder (50 gal storage tub with a fitted screen top) and brought them inside. We have AC, put the little water back in, turnout out the lights and they are having a very long night in the basement.

The plan is to get up super early tomorrow to let them out at first light so they get more outside time (this usually happens at 7am), then bring them in again when it gets too hot. I really don't see any other options. Anyone else got ideas?

The rational side of me is reorganizing the freezer to put make as much ice as possible. The emotional half is in denial that the next two days are going to be what they are forecasting.

Charge everything that requires a battery people, phones, computers, cpap camping battery, whatever you got. If the power goes out you'll be happy to have juice in those.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Hope everyone is staying cool. I'm in PDX and struggling with the heat as well. Today sucked. I've got 8 count - 8 week old ladies.

I've been giving Sav-A-Chick/Chick Boost for hydration, adding ice to the mix. We have been using a collapsible puppy play pen to we can make sure there is not direct sun,100% shade, freezing large chunks of ice, etc. I even ran an extension cord to them and put a fan directed into the pen, but they still didn't seem like they were able to cool down. They were laying next to the ice, on the ground, and not interested in food. When it cracked 101 (4pm?) I said the hell with it, grabbed them, put them back in their brooder (50 gal storage tub with a fitted screen top) and brought them inside. We have AC, put the little water back in, turnout out the lights and they are having a very long night in the basement.

The plan is to get up super early tomorrow to let them out at first light so they get more outside time (this usually happens at 7am), then bring them in again when it gets too hot. I really don't see any other options. Anyone else got ideas?

The rational side of me is reorganizing the freezer to put make as much ice as possible. The emotional half is in denial that the next two days are going to be what they are forecasting.

Charge everything that requires a battery people, phones, computers, cpap camping battery, whatever you got. If the power goes out you'll be happy to have juice in those.

I am right there with ya, exact same boat, I have 1-3yrold, 5-1yr olds one is a rooster and, 6 -7week olds and 4-6week olds
I wore my self out yesterday back and forth house; coop; house; coop
I have the fan, electrolytes, tarps for shade, I close the coop door and dont let them in it when it reaches 90 in it. it gets 101 in there,

this is stressful

 

[3KillerBs]

I have the fan, electrolytes, tarps for shade, I close the coop door and dont let them in it when it reaches 90 in it. it gets 101 in there,

If your coop is hotter inside that the temperature is outside you probably want to consider how to add more ventilation and/or shade.

After the temps drop to a point where it's safe for you to work out there, of course.

 

[Pork Pie]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/788391/keeping-chickens-cool-in-summer-heat

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-keeping-chickens-cool-in-summer.1181934/

 

[Grandmas Coop]

If your coop is hotter inside that the temperature is outside you probably want to consider how to add more ventilation and/or shade.

After the temps drop to a point where it's safe for you to work out there, of course.

It has ventilation holes in the roof line, 3 windows and a big door

 

[3KillerBs]

It has ventilation holes in the roof line, 3 windows and a big door
View attachment 2737026 View attachment 2737029View attachment 2737031

Where you have the small window on the tall side -- you could extend that all the way across the coop.

The usual guideline is 1 square foot of 24/7/365 ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen, but my personal rule is that if's hotter inside than out on a warm, sunny day I add more ventilation.

I have 16 square feet of primary ventilation and 10 additional square feet of supplementary ventilation in my Outdoor Brooder but I had to put up an old picnic fly for shade to keep it under 100F on a 93F day.

 

[HennyPenny44]

Sorry to jump in. Our temps in the Northeast aren’t projected to be as high as in the Pacific Northwest but still a hot 97 this week. I do the fan in the run under a tarp and another fan blowing straight underneath a large shrub my chickens love to hang out under and I find it creates a nice cooling tunnel effect that my chickens love. But the coop is a concern since it gets direct afternoon sun. I do a fan in the coop and that helps some and I tried wrapping a frozen gallon bottle in a towel in front of it but not sure if that helped any. Has anybody found the frozen water bottles to work? Any other ideas to cool the coop besides installing A/C?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Where you have the small window on the tall side -- you could extend that all the way across the coop.

The usual guideline is 1 square foot of 24/7/365 ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen, but my personal rule is that if's hotter inside than out on a warm, sunny day I add more ventilation.

I've got plenty of ventilation but it's still hot as an oven in the coop, so I propped open the human door as soon as we got up and it'll stay open like that until about 9 PM.

Unfortunately my coop is placed so it creates shade... which means it's taking the brunt of the sunlight, not helpful on a day like this.

 

[PDXchickenmom]

Hope everyone is staying cool. I'm in PDX and struggling with the heat as well. Today sucked. I've got 8 count - 8 week old ladies.

I've been giving Sav-A-Chick/Chick Boost for hydration, adding ice to the mix. We have been using a collapsible puppy play pen to we can make sure there is not direct sun,100% shade, freezing large chunks of ice, etc. I even ran an extension cord to them and put a fan directed into the pen, but they still didn't seem like they were able to cool down. They were laying next to the ice, on the ground, and not interested in food. When it cracked 101 (4pm?) I said the hell with it, grabbed them, put them back in their brooder (50 gal storage tub with a fitted screen top) and brought them inside. We have AC, put the little water back in, turnout out the lights and they are having a very long night in the basement.

The plan is to get up super early tomorrow to let them out at first light so they get more outside time (this usually happens at 7am), then bring them in again when it gets too hot. I really don't see any other options. Anyone else got ideas?

The rational side of me is reorganizing the freezer to put make as much ice as possible. The emotional half is in denial that the next two days are going to be what they are forecasting.

Charge everything that requires a battery people, phones, computers, cpap camping battery, whatever you got. If the power goes out you'll be happy to have juice in those.

I’m in the same boat. I tried to keep them outside as long as possible yesterday but one of my younger hens took a turn and I frantically set them up in my kitchen. I have a portable a/c unit. It’s not super cool on my house but it’s not 108. Fans blowing and lots of water and cold treats. Woke up at 4:30 to let them out for a few hours and about to bring them in again. I have a friend on standby (with a/c). If we lose power, it’s looking like I’ll load up my four hens and two dogs for a sleepover at a friends house ). This is really awful. I am exhausted. Stay safe, everyone!