It's 100 degrees in the coop

[Nicole01]

It's a 100 degrees in the coop and would be a lot warmer if I had the door to outside open. I'm putting ice in the water every hour and I brought the 12 week old chicks back in the kitchen of the house. They were panting like crazy and hanging their wings. The 5 little ones are handling the heat just fine. I have no shade in the run, so I can't put the mister out there. I'm keeping the door closed. We are not finished with the run, we need to shade a section. Tomorrow is suppose to be even hotter. It's 98 outside and muggy.

I can't believe how good the 3 twelve week olds are being. They are resting in the kitchen under the table. I've never heard them be so quiet. They must be super happy. They were in the kitchen earlier today.

Anyone else dealing with this heat? I'd never thought I'd be this worried over my chickens.

 

[urbanolive]

Hoe about at least draping a sheet over a section for some shade ? Plug in a fan out there ? It was 90 in our run today, in the shade, and they have all been panting,too.

 

[Nicole01]

I do have a blanket over the wire, but it's a furnace. The sun is beating full force. I'll open it up when the sun goes down. I might put the babies in the dog kennel downstairs tomorrow if it's over 100 outside. It's not too often we get these super hot days. Thursday is only going to be in the 60's.

 

[lilchick]

Mid 90's here in Indiana. I keep a fan running all the time. Place in window facing out to draw hotter air out and pull in a breeze thru the other windows and loft door.

Let them out in their pens with plenty of waterers setting around for them. I have even lightly hosed their pens down as the damp earth is cooler for them.

A mister works well for horses and think it could work for chickens too.

Shade, shade, and more shade is important. I planted so much landscape in and around my pens for them to hang out under.

My heavy buff orphington roo acts like he has breathing problems so he is staying in the cool basement for the summer!

 

[Nicole01]

I couldn't take it any longer.lol It got a little hotter in the coop, so I brought the babies in the basement in our other dog kennel. My frizzle breathes funny too. I can hear her breathe in and out. I'll probably have them inside tomorrow. We need to plant a maple tree along side the run. We have a few plantable trees in the backyard.

 

[hbwbk]

try a water hose with a mister on it mine run but sometimes when it's to hot they play in it. Also I saw on this site some one took a half gallon milk cont put water and all kinds of seeds in it so they peck on it. It also works like a cooler in the pen make sure you have a cont. to put under it.

 

[galanie]

Wait - it's 100 degrees and you have the door closed? It can't be hotter than that in Minnesota! Open that door for ventilation and turn on a fan. It's 100 here in Texas with high humidity and mine are panting but with the fan in the coop, ice water like you are doing, shade trees, and wet muddy spots wherever I can make them in the shade, they're at least hanging in there.

Get a cheap tarp for that run. I didn't think they would help that much but I stretched one over my run and YES, they do indeed cool the area greatly! I got one that is that woven plastic stuff and is silver on one side and brown on the other. The brown side is up.

 

[mljohnson05]

Quote:
I did the same thing with the the same kind of tarp, and it made a HUGE difference . I have 6 week old bantams and they are doing great so far. I also put a rubber slop pan in the pen and put a shallow amount of water in it so they can take bird baths to cool off

 

[Nicole01]

Quote:
Yes, our thermometer is reading 99.1 in the shade. The sun is beating right in the coop, which is fully insulated for winter. The sun heats it up very hot. I'll try the tarp. We'll put it up tonight and maybe it will work tomorrow.

Our coop is a room in our garage. Most days the coop is cooler then outside if we keep the garage door closed and the coop door shut to the outside. It's unusally hot today.

 

[Betsy57]

It's been 95-98 degrees here in southern Illinois all last week. My coop was 110 inside so the 3 week old chicks are downstairs in the extra bathroom! I want my bathroom back! I went to a neighbor's greenhouse and she had a shade tarp over her greenhouse. It was 20 degrees cooler on that one greenhouse than the others that didn't have the shade tarp! I bought a shade tarp (90%) from www.etarp.com and hope to have it by the weekend. I hope to be able to get the chicks back in the coop and my bathroom back. I can't believe it is so hot already! My laying hens have shade and are panting, but surviving. They're out of the coop in the day and I have fans on in the evening for them. Relief please!

I received my tarp today (06/13/11). Great communication from this company! "Talked" to a man on line on a Sunday (Steve, I think he is the owner!) The tarp is very nice! Got it up in no time at all by myself. The temps have got down to mid to upper 80's thank the Lord, so the chicks are okay. I have high expectations from this shade tarp that it will keep the coop no more than 90 degrees. I'll keep you updated!