It's been a very rough first year with chickens. Anyone else?

[Ahoragi]

We moved onto this property last June and everything has been peachy and then decided to get 16 chickens and have them live in what used to be the goat house. We had no where to raise them except the spare bedroom at the time, which was a massive mistake, but during that experience we had several power outages. Not unusual but a bit on the strange side since I had zero outages after buying a generator at the old house. Spring comes along and we have the flock out in the new converted coop when out of no where there is non-stop daily downpours and tornado warnings (in PA??) which end up flooding our property multiple times. I have never seen so much water come down so fast. This resulted in A LOT OF DIGGING to trench away all this water for the next bunch of downpours that occurred. The coop ends up in a muddy mess during every downpour which causes us to have to lay down more straw to keep things semi-dry. Then comes June and things seem to start to dry up but now we are hit with a severe heat wave that has seen temps from 91-97 all week. I have not experienced a June with temps this severe before. Those poor birds were panting more than a dog does and I spent hours icing their waterers, giving them frozen fruits/veggie water bowls, trying to keep them cool by hanging tarps to create shade. Today it hit 97 and I had to put the portable AC in their coop to help them as they were panting hard with their wings open.

I am not familiar with how hardy chickens are but these birds were surely put to the test during their first 17 weeks and still have 90+ degree weather to deal with the next 4-6 days.

Anyone else experience hardship during their first year with your birds?

 

[Ahoragi]

More Pixs

 

[Evadig]

We moved onto this property last June and everything has been peachy and then decided to get 16 chickens and have them live in what used to be the goat house. We had no where to raise them except the spare bedroom at the time, which was a massive mistake, but during that experience we had several power outages. Not unusual but a bit on the strange side since I had zero outages after buying a generator at the old house. Spring comes along and we have the flock out in the new converted coop when out of no where there is non-stop daily downpours and tornado warnings (in PA??) which end up flooding our property multiple times. I have never seen so much water come down so fast. This resulted in A LOT OF DIGGING to trench away all this water for the next bunch of downpours that occurred. The coop ends up in a muddy mess during every downpour which causes us to have to lay down more straw to keep things semi-dry. Then comes June and things seem to start to dry up but now we are hit with a severe heat wave that has seen temps from 91-97 all week. I have not experienced a June with temps this severe before. Those poor birds were panting more than a dog does and I spent hours icing their waterers, giving them frozen fruits/veggie water bowls, trying to keep them cool by hanging tarps to create shade. Today it hit 97 and I had to put the portable AC in their coop to help them as they were panting hard with their wings open.

I am not familiar with how hardy chickens are but these birds were surely put to the test during their first 17 weeks and still have 90+ degree weather to deal with the next 4-6 days.

Anyone else experience hardship during their first year with your birds?

This is my third year with chickens but I sympathize with the mud. My coop is called the Muddy Run for a reason - I don’t even have a roof on there, just a tarp with multiple holes.

How much ventilation is in the coop?

Mine are hot, but not overly hot. They’re not panting. It was 100F today. I’m a bit south of you.

 

[Ahoragi]

This is my third year with chickens but I sympathize with the mud. My coop is called the Muddy Run for a reason - I don’t even have a roof on there, just a tarp with multiple holes.

How much ventilation is in the coop?

Mine are hot, but not overly hot. They’re not panting. It was 100F today. I’m a bit south of you.

You must have birds that are very tolerant to heat? Ours were panting by midday when it was 91. By evening they were digging to China trying to keep cool. I was covered in sweat just being outside for 10 minutes changing their water.

We have eight 5x10 side windows, one 8x12 back window, and a front 10x10 along with a 5'x3' door for us to go in. All of them were open until I put the AC in there and left the 8 small windows open. It brought temps from 92 down to 81.

 

[Evadig]

You must have birds that are very tolerant to heat? Ours were panting by midday when it was 91. By evening they were digging to China trying to keep cool. I was covered in sweat just being outside for 10 minutes changing their water.

What breeds do you have?

I have Mottled Javas (which are quite fluffy), Easter Eggers, and's Plymouth Rocks, to name a few.

 

[Ahoragi]

What breeds do you have?

I have Mottled Javas (which are quite fluffy), Easter Eggers, and's Plymouth Rocks, to name a few.

I apologize, I am not fluent in breeds. I think we have four white Light Brahmas, two black Jersey Giants (maybe?), six New Hampshires, and two darker red chickens that I am not sure of their breed.

 

[Iluveggers]

I apologize, I am not fluent in breeds. I think we have four white Light Brahmas, two black Jersey Giants (maybe?), six New Hampshires, and two darker red chickens that I am not sure of their breed.

The Brahmas will have a harder time with heat (and mud), due to their small combs and feathered legs. How did they do in comparison to the rest?

 

[SamLockwood]

Where I live, frequent downpours and temps in the mid-90's are what we call "normal summer weather."

If they're panting but otherwise acting normally they're not heat-stressed: it's just the only way they cool off. Chickens can't sweat and they're not inclined to get wet to cool off. Mine HATE it, and icing the water isn't the best idea. The sudden chill can actually stress them more physically.

The main thing they need is shade, good ventilation, and plenty of water. They'll drink two to three times more water in hot weather than normal, and some electrolyte mix in the water doesn't hurt.

Mine free-range and I've noticed they'll only forage in the open in the morning and at dusk when it's hot. Mid-day they'll either lounge around in the shade or forage in the forest (which is typically 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the yard).

My coops are custom built with automatic crawlspace vents, and I the walls and roofs are white to reflect heat. It keeps the temps pretty much at ambient even on the really sweltering days.

I had a similar problem with drainage with my current set up: when I first built it the site I picked drained fine. I didn't account for the run acting like a dam and turning the run bedding into a muddy, stinky slurry. I ended up adding a roof to the run and PVC pipes across the bottom to let the water flow through. Now it stays dry as a bone.

 

[KyCoop]

Yes unfortunately sometimes the first year is the hardest.
My first spring I lived with a shovel in my hand digging drainage ditches, building dams and adding gutters to my run.
My first summer I spent my time adding screen doors and shade curtains. and buying a barn fan.
My first fall I spent my time adding string to my chicken yard to try and deter the migrating hawks from eating my girls.
My first winter I spent my time wrapping the north side of the coop and running the bucket brigade because water freezes fast.
Chicken keeping is not for the faint if heart but it get easier and more fun I promise. Once you get everything set up and know what to expect you will be able to just have your normal chicken chores and enjoy your flock.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes unfortunately sometimes the first year is the hardest.
My first spring I lived with a shovel in my hand digging drainage ditches, building dams and adding gutters to my run.
My first summer I spent my time adding screen doors and shade curtains. and buying a barn fan.
My first fall I spent my time adding string to my chicken yard to try and deter the migrating hawks from eating my girls.
My first winter I spent my time wrapping the north side of the coop and running the bucket brigade because water freezes fast.
Chicken keeping is not for the faint if heart but it get easier and more fun I promise. Once you get everything set up and know what to expect you will be able to just have your normal chicken chores and enjoy your flock.

Exactly! I have dug 2 trenches. One this spring after we had floods wash out the neighbors entire foundation! I live at the bottom of a mountain. I have four seasons and each season has specific duties to help the chickens thrive