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[andyb]

I read lots of talk about frozen food, iced water etc. Is it not true of humans at least, that if we consume very cold food/drink, our system actually has to warm it up to be digested properly, hence having the opposite to the desired effect?

I would assume that anyway to get liquid into the girls, and cool their body temps down would be the best options.

The above mentioned wet hessian bags over the side of the coop would have an amazing effect at cooling the area down (the old coolgardie safe concept

).

 

[emach0301]

It will be in the 100's all of this week in oklahoma, yesterday was 103, today is 104 and tomorow is 105. I have shade all over for my girls, 3 waterers, and a mister.. I also give them chilled treats throughout the day. Might check into this "save a chick" stuff though. They do nothing but pant all day the past couple of days... It makes me worry!

 

[emach0301]

I read lots of talk about frozen food, iced water etc. Is it not true of humans at least, that if we consume very cold food/drink, our system actually has to warm it up to be digested properly, hence having the opposite to the desired effect?

I would assume that anyway to get liquid into the girls, and cool their body temps down would be the best options.

The above mentioned wet hessian bags over the side of the coop would have an amazing effect at cooling the area down (the old coolgardie safe concept

).

 

[emach0301]

Yes, by wetting the coop, or whatever it is that you are using for shade actually helps! It will lover the temp by atleast 20degrees!!!

 

[dhmoravcik]

Hi there!

I have found if you take the more squat type of drinking water bottle, fill with water and freeze it, one will fit in the one gallon waterer, we put 2 or 3 in a two gallon waterer and a couple 2 liter bottles of frozen water fit in the 5 gallon. Once it melts, just re-freeze and use again. Works pretty good. Heidi

 

[Gomezpnp]

I live in Canyon Lake TX. Yesterday my husband checked on the chickens at 2:00, misted them, checked on them again and found 2 dead. They were our older ones but only about 2 years old. What can we do so this does not happen again? Thank you.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I lost one today, when I went out this morning to let them out, my Light Brahma was gone. Had to put our roo down Monday night because of a hurt leg, and found his daughter dead a few feet away from him. This has not been a good year for chickens for us.

All the chicken are either under our deck or under the shed, I have containers of water out by them. And also have a child's wading pool under a big oak tree, to keep the dogs cool, which the chickens like to step in and cool off.

 

[emach0301]

oh goodness mommy's two wee ones. prayers sent your way. I can only imagine my chickens being lost to a heat stroke Its pretty bad here lately in oklahoma. its 5pm, and its 100 degrees, and will be all week.

 

[Abby2]

As my chookies are seniors I take them inside in laundry baskets during the hottest part of the day

I love my girls

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

For those of you who live where it gets in the 90s and up, you can create a simple 'swamp cooler' for your girls with burlap sacks and a drip hose.

Take burlap sacks and cut them open, stitch them together to form a tarp big enough to cover the cages. Run a drip hose over the top and right along the edge so the water will drip down and saturate the burlap. Shade cloth won't work because it doesn't get 'wet', the water just runs off.

The weave of burlap is open enough to allow some air circulation without stifling them inside, and adds shade too. When the warm air hits the wet burlap it will cool by almost 15 degrees on even the hottest of days.

This is how my neighbor kept her Angora rabbits cool when the temps hit the triple digits.

Great idea! It got up to 113 degrees here last year and will probably do it again. I am going to try this "swamp cooler" out.