Idea for keeping chickens COOL in outrageous HEAT!! Update w/ PICTURE!

[AeronTS]

Quote:
Your idea would work if the window and fan were large enough that the air inside the coop migrated out to the warmer air faster than the warm outside air would replace it. It becomes a problem with efficiency. How large would the window, fan, and ice packs need to be in order to accomplish this? I believe the window would need to be larger than the coop. And/or a very weather sealed coop restricting the amount of air-in ventilation.
A swamp cooler doing the same thing but in reverse, would be much more efficient.

What is a swamp cooler? If you go by the refrigeration law that warmer air always migrates to cooler air, then it is impossible for cooler air inside the coop to migrate to warmer air outside the coop. I think the only problem would be when both the outside and inside temps are the same (because of warmer air moving to the cooler air thus warming the cooler air), at which point -- instantaneously -- there would be a battle of which air is warmer. I think the issue of efficiency is going to have to do with how long the icepacks can withstand the onslaught of ambient air warming them up.

 

[Alpha Roo]

A swamp cooler is a large fan/blower that has recurculating water. Picture a box about 4' square. Three of the outside walls are a mesh, like straw. the water trickles down the mesh. A fan/blower inside blows into the room like a window mounted airconditioner, pulling outside air in through the water soaked mesh, which cools it. They do not work well in humid weather, but work great in dry areas like here in the desert. They are much more effencient here than an AC unit, and much cheaper to run. The other difference is that unlike an AC, the room will become pressurized to a degree so you need a vent in the far side of the room. This also makes it easy to direct where the cooler air flows to, by where you place the vent, or which vents are open/closed.


see here for more http://images.google.com/imgres?img...w=128&prev=/images?q=swamp+cooler&gbv=2&hl=en

 

[3goodeggs]

Hot chickens!I have been looking through the old posts about heat and chickens. I just got the girls out of our house and the poor things now have 97 degree heat to deal with. The coop is well ventilated, but it is so hot they get ventilated with hot air.
I will get them the Durvet electrolytes, and some frozen water jugs to hang with, but I may need to try a portable swamp cooler.
In the greenhouse biz we call them wet pads. One end of the green house has huge pads with water dripping down through them. The other end of the greenhouse has very large fans blowing out, and drawing air in from the other end of the greenhouse with the pads. The evaporative cooling only works if the humidity is low enough. Here in Florida, when we need the relief the most, the humidity is the highest.
If anyone has anyother idea on how to keep the chicks cool please let me know.
Thanks.

 

[kathyinmo]

Fans, water, ice, cold (or partially frozen?)melons. All sound like great ideas. I am gonna try the trash can cool-off room.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Freeze your melons. They love that.


We use a big industrial shop fan that blows in the horses barn and chicken coops. They usually stay hidden in the woods digging deep holes during the hottest part of the day though.

 

[cookfor4]

So glad for this post- I was really freaking out about the humidity and heat. Poor birds....

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I think I might try that too with the trash cans and the ice packs. My coop is located in a good spot in my yard where there is lots of shade, and we change out the water constantly cause it gets so hot so fast, but I like the idea of offering them some frozen fruit, and last night I was misting them with the hose. They weren't thrilled with it, but they weren't running for the hills either, lol. Today I dusted them with DE cause they haven't seemed to figure out the concept of a dust bath yet.

My concern is my stubborn ducks. I put out nice clean water every day for them to swim in, and they refuse to swim in it. Instead they are content to stick their heads into the water dish and pull out water to spread over the feathers. This morning, before it even hit 90 my one duck Jesse was sitting in the coop panting so hard I was afraid he'd have a heat stroke. I carried him to the water and of course he immediately jumped out. I may just bring them in the house and toss them in the tub cause that's where they swam daily when they were still inside the house. Especially if the temp keeps going up. I'm going out to check on them again now and give them some fresh, cold water. It's suppose to be 93 tomorrow. If I still can't persuade them to swim, then they are coming inside and lounging in the tub. Spoiled ducks that they are...

 

[NancyBrew]

What a great thread!

I love the Chillin Chicken room! I am going to have to try this, as our summers are usually hot and dry. There is little planted yet where we are building the coop and pen so I know the girls are going to be hot, especially this first summer. Luckily we do not have the humidity the south has, but the heat can get up over 100.

We usually do have a nice breeze that blows up the hill here, so I plan to take advantage of it to help cool the coop.

Love the frozen fruit pop ideas too!

Thanks for the post!

Nancy

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I'm on my way out the door to try that now in our little "hot" coop! Thanks for the idea. My poor babies have been panting and they are too little to let outside yet so I'm going to try this out!

 

[Sissy]

Thanks Great idea for a cool room I will be doing that
this after noon.

I also have a water mister..going.
heat and humidity has been awful for them.