How to keep the flock cool?

[Hyline]

Like Capvin, I have a mister in my coop and have a high velocity fan to blow the light mist around the coop - my hens choose to go and set under it to keep cool, they wander outside for a scratch around and then go back under the mist when they get hot. I am in western Australia and so it is certainly very hot here in the summer - I don't know fahrenheit temps but we average around 35 degrees celcius, and hit up 45 degrees celcius on a really hot day. It's disgusting at the moment, so hot, but my girls are happy on their white sand in the shade under their mister and fan. I also freeze watermelons for them!

 

[MrsMoonCat]

I go out early on hot days and fill all of the waterers and pans. I then spray the ground where they like to laze during the hottest parts of the day. I usually go back out later in the day and do it again. I am hoping to put up misters this year.

Mine think they are part duck so I also have some of the really large plastic plant saucers filled with water. They stand in them a lot and splash around. One tip is to be sure your water is out of the sun. The water can get too hot for them to even touch.

 

[swamy]

I planted some clumps of decorative grasses on the North side of the enclosure, not sure what species it is, but it grows to 6 feet tall and very thick through summer. When fall rolls around and they appreciate the sunshine I cut it down to ground level. Following spring it starts growing and provides good shade just we start getting into the heat. Also used shade cloth last year (wicked hot) to make blinds for the coop windows.

Also put a large plastic tote on it's side inside the coop and would put two milk jugs filled with frozen water in there. Set up a small fan on the wall and directed it at the tote. Acted like a little air conditioner.

 

[smw18]

May I see a picture of what your discribing to me swamy.
Also thank you everyone, I will be trying everyones suggestions, one thing I hate to see is animals out in the heat, even with normal water. I like to give them something extra to keep them cool, even if that were to mean my house would become a coop.

 

[RaeRae2]

I have two high powered fans running in the barn and the hens sit in front of the fans with their feathers blowing up in the air. Even the ones that don't sit directly in front of the fan still get a good breeze as the cross winds from the two fans blow through the barn. I am in WI so we don't get the awful heat, but we do have high humidity here. There are many days that the hens don't venture out of the barn. They stay inside newar the fans.