How well can chickens handle heat?

[Random Fluffy Chicken]

Man, I have way more questions than usual today, this will probably be my last thread today though.
How well do chickens handle heat? I am asking because it’s getting warmer and warmer in my area as each day goes by. I want to make sure it’s cool enough inside the coop.

 

[aart]

I see. Are there any other signs a chicken may be hot other than panting?

Panting is the first sign, holding wings away from body is the next.
Lethargy is what I look for, toss a few treats and the birds that don't go for them deem watching. Almost lost a bird from heat stroke, she was staggering and lost sight in one eye, saved her with Electrolytes. Now I give them regularly.

aart's Extreme Weather spiel

Hot Weather.... My birds are confined with no great deep shade for last half of the day so I have to be vigilant during heat waves. I do have shade cloths up on run, which helps, but still not deep shade. To help cool down the coop I have a box fan in the east window of coop, where it's shady...

• aart
• Jul 21, 2020
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[rosemarythyme]

Overall they're fine until around 85F, where you may start to see some panting, wings being held out, etc. At around 95F you may see more obvious heat stress, especially if birds aren't healthy.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Chickens handle cold better than the heat.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Man, I have way more questions than usual today, this will probably be my last thread today though.
How well do chickens handle heat? I am asking because it’s getting warmer and warmer in my area as each day goes by. I want to make sure it’s cool enough inside the coop.

How hot are you talking? It also depends on the breed... what breeds are you getting / have?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Hmmm ok. I think they should be ok.. red sex links have pretty big combs from what I’ve seen, indicating heat hardiness. You can also find ways to keep them cool, like putting ice in their water.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I see. Are there any other signs a chicken may be hot other than panting?

I don’t really know... this is just a guess (I live in a colder climate) but maybe if they’re drinking a ton and trying to get in any shade possible.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

I see. Are there any other signs a chicken may be hot other than panting?

They would also have pale combs and wattles and would stop eating their food but LOTS of water.

 

[gtaus]

How well do chickens handle heat? I am asking because it’s getting warmer and warmer in my area as each day goes by. I want to make sure it’s cool enough inside the coop.

I usually don't have to worry about excessive heat where I live. Ventilation is key to just about everything. To keep the coop cooler, have a vent(s) open low to the floor and another vent(s) up high. This should naturally create a current where the cool air comes in the lower vent and hot air escapes from the vents above.

If outside, make sure they have some shade to sit under to keep cool. I have seen some people in hot climates put up shade cloth over their coop. I obviously don't have any need for that where I live.

 

[aart]

I was hesitant to mention the use of a box fan. I know some people use them and don't have a problem. But there are also numerous reports of those inexpensive house box fans being used to vent out chicken coops, the fan motor gets clogged with chicken dust over time, the motor overheats and catches fire, and then you potentially lose everything. Just hope your coop is not close to the garage or house in that event.

Maybe you should have copied the whole paragraph.
"To help cool down the coop I have a box fan in the east window of coop, where it's shady most the day, and turn it on late afternoon...blows cooler air into coop and pushes hot air out."