It's HOT! Another heat thread

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I think by letting them free range helps them to find the coolest places.

I agree with this...mine all free range and on these hot days (it's been in the high 90's here too) they go out into the thick woods and dig themselves into the dirt. I never see them out in the open ALL day...they stay in the wood and scratch for bugs. When I picked them up their feet were actually kind of cool and none were panting. They ARE however panting at night when they go back into their coop

I sure wish it would start cooling off at night!​

 

[pawsplus]

I knew it was hot the day I trained the spray head on the pen on the "mist" setting, and the girls ran INTO it instead of OUT of it!

Normally they don't seem to appreciate my efforts to cool them off, but on the hottest days they seem to get it.

 

[chicmom]

Here in Ohio it's been hot like that as well. It was already 81 this morning at 10:00, and it's supposed to be 100 today, feeling like 111 with the heat index. I was outside yesterday, and I wait until 7:30, because by then back yard is shadier. I refilled all the waterers with fresh, cool water, and I gave the flock a whole lot of sliced, chilled cucumbers, which they went crazy for! They just love that.

They've all been handling the heat quite well so far.....I won't be home until late today, because I have to visit my elderly parents, and hubby has made really large ice cubes to put in their water out of cool whip containers that I saved. That helps cool them down.

This heat is really a bummer. By the time I get those chores done....feeding, watering, raking the runs and doing a little bit of cleaning around the coops--just the daily stuff, I am dripping wet with sweat. Then I just sit down a bit, and watch the chickens. I've got an old chair out there and sometimes they sit on my lap.

I think they're doing pretty well......

 

[Judy]

It is quite hot and humid here. No basement; no one builds them in this area because we are low and they fill with water so readily. I run a box fan all summer, and have a large and very breezy coop where they hang out in the heat of the day. I think at least some are learning to walk in a shallow pan of water with frozen milk jugs in it, but they are reluctant. I have occasionally bodily dunked them in water when it was awful, at least the ones I can catch. If they really start looking stressed they will be let out into the woods -- with the predators, yes, but they aren't very hungry right now with all the young mice and rabbits around. Their yard is large enough to have 6' tall weeds so I hose the weeds at times, cooling the ground and dripping water on them. Sometimes they will dust bathe where i have wet the ground. There's a shaded concrete area they like, evidently because it is cool on their feet. I've never gotten them to accept even gentle misting. No heat losses, fortunately.

 

[flowergirl60]

Yes it is very hot and it seems we are all doing our best to keep our flocks cooled off. We've had no measurable rain for 6 months and the ground is like a desert. 37 days here with it being over 100. Not to mention the heat index. Here's to praying for all our flocks who have to endeaver this heat.

 

[FiFiFeather]

This is what my husband recommended: Hose off the roof of the coop. It reduces the temp of the roof and cool air sinks, making the inside cooler & the effect will continue while the water evaporates.

We are also spraying the ground around the run so the cooler air blows into the run & they have a kiddie pool with water (which they don't use, but they sure like the water that drips off the leaves hanging over the coop when we spray). I think it will just take vigilance but we also have a back up of o putting them under the bilco doors where it is much cooler on basement level if they show stress.

Our run is in the shade but the coop is in the sun for part of the day. We did build it with screened ventilation on the bottom and under the roof which helps so there is a constant breeze in the summer.

We took the bunny inside this am. The heat will be so bad, she can't stay in it, even with ice & cold treats. We're just keeping an eye on the chickens.

 

[ashedd]

Well my Big 3(Buff O, RIR, Golden comet) are doing well in the basement.. although they look rather bored. We are suppose to get a slight cool down come monday, so I may let them outside for the day(s). I just took my 3 two month old egyptian fayoumis' outside to clean their cage. They seemed to like it so I put them in the coop/run. Easier said than done since these guys are basically wild. They started panting pretty quickly when I had them out there but once I turned the fan on them they stopped. Providing none of them can fit through the wire(last last week), I think I will let them sit outside today. It's pretty much my only option right now... they are too wild for me to chase down in this heat.

On a side note: my a/c stopped working yesterday. So it might not be too long before we are all outside rolling around in the dirt.