Hello! First time backyard chicken owner here. I have four 4 week old pullets that are currently housed in our garage (well ventilated and lit) and are about to be moved out to our covered patio outside here in a few weeks. To train them to get used to the outside, I have been putting them in our backyard in an enclosure for half an hour every day. I live in Houston and it's already 90F outside. Today I noticed all four chicks started panting, lying down lopsided with wings open just a few mins into their backyard adventure. I quickly pulled them inside and they were okay.
Well... Houston isn't gonna get any cooler until maybe October or so...until then, what can I do to make sure the chicks don't overheat? I've been digging around on this forum and the common things are ice cubes, water pan, frozen treats, a small fan next to coop (their coop and run is under the shaded patio.) No one is at the house during the day between 7am- 5pm so ice cubes won't last long at all... What else would you suggest? Thank you!
I live in Panama, near the equator. Hot and humid year round.
Tuppermaid/Rubbermaid type tote WITH LID filled with water and 'ice block' made with a water filled plastic milk jug (with cap so you don't have to refill it daily). In the morning, take your frozen milk jug and drop it into your tote that you've positioned in DEEP shade somewhere in your flock's space, put the lid on the tote (because your birds are so young, they could drown if they got in, as they get older, that threat diminishes dramatically). At bedtime, grab and dry that milk jug and put it into the freezer overnight to reuse the next day. Your birds will 'cuddle up' to the tote to reduce their core temperature. Once they're adults, when the risk of drowning has passed (chickens do NOT swim) you can remove the tote lid and allow them to drink that cooled water throughout the day as well.
If you do not have deep shade in their area, then you'll need to consider how to get some. I now have some mature trees that provide a corner of very deep shade that my flock enjoys, but years ago, before the trees matured, I used a sheet of zinc roofing material, I could only get red at the time, so turned it non-painted side up to reflect more heat away from the structure, and leaned it up against a building to make a sort of lean-to. I would have preferred to have used white, as the silvery side is kind of 'shiny' (glare) when the sun hits it just so... and painted roofing zinc would have eliminated that.
Ensure that they have a dry, dirt or sand hole, somewhere on the property that is in deep shade, as bathing is a favorite pass time when it's hot and muggy, and the cool dirt they dig up and toss onto themselves will help keep their skin and feathers in top shape while entertaining and cooling them. This space should be large enough for at least three adult birds to enjoy simultaneously. (think of this as their version of a 'pool party').
Consider freezing their allotment of treats for the day and serving them during the heat of the day. A bag of diced carrots with peas from the freezer section at the grocer makes an excellent, handy, summertime treat that's no added effort to prepare for them. Remember to keep treats to no more than 10% of their total daily diet. Watermelon is a HUGE hit with chickens and has a very high water content. Be advised that seed eaten by your girls today could very well become a harvest next year... If these girls are going to have free range on your front lawn, consider how you'd feel if watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, pumpkin etc., were to spring up next year.
