Hi All!
I had to make a quick post for this because it is helping me tremendously right now. It's sweltering here this weekend, it is well about 100 - probably more like 102. I've been doing all the usual things to keep my small backyard flock from becoming distressed from the heat - ice water to drink, electrolytes, shade, even cooling foot baths (the chickens have it better than I do basically).
Anyway, long story short, I have a mister (it's self-standing) that hooks up to the hose. It only requires a minuscule amount of water to work, produces a fine, cool mist, and lowers the air temperature considerably. I placed the mister a few feet away from the chickens' run, turned it on, and also placed a large box fan on an angle so that the breeze from the fan would both blow through the run and catch the mist from the mister and blow that across the run. The chickens love to lie down in front of the fan, it ruffles their feathers, and the mist cools them down WITHOUT getting them soaking wet.
I went outside just now, have had the mister and fan going all day, and the chickens were NOT PANTING AT ALL. It is at least 102 this afternoon and not one chicken was panting from the heat. I was amazed. It's so hot! But this helps so much. If you aren't already doing this (which I know a lot of us already are) you should absolutely try it. The only instance I think it would not be effective is if it's extremely humid where you. But for those of us in drier climates - yes!
This is the mister I use: https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-10360-...ie=UTF8&qid=1469313205&sr=8-2&keywords=mister I'm sure Home Depot would have them too. And the fan is just a regular old box fan from WalMart.
Keep cool!!
I had to make a quick post for this because it is helping me tremendously right now. It's sweltering here this weekend, it is well about 100 - probably more like 102. I've been doing all the usual things to keep my small backyard flock from becoming distressed from the heat - ice water to drink, electrolytes, shade, even cooling foot baths (the chickens have it better than I do basically).
Anyway, long story short, I have a mister (it's self-standing) that hooks up to the hose. It only requires a minuscule amount of water to work, produces a fine, cool mist, and lowers the air temperature considerably. I placed the mister a few feet away from the chickens' run, turned it on, and also placed a large box fan on an angle so that the breeze from the fan would both blow through the run and catch the mist from the mister and blow that across the run. The chickens love to lie down in front of the fan, it ruffles their feathers, and the mist cools them down WITHOUT getting them soaking wet.
I went outside just now, have had the mister and fan going all day, and the chickens were NOT PANTING AT ALL. It is at least 102 this afternoon and not one chicken was panting from the heat. I was amazed. It's so hot! But this helps so much. If you aren't already doing this (which I know a lot of us already are) you should absolutely try it. The only instance I think it would not be effective is if it's extremely humid where you. But for those of us in drier climates - yes!
This is the mister I use: https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-10360-...ie=UTF8&qid=1469313205&sr=8-2&keywords=mister I'm sure Home Depot would have them too. And the fan is just a regular old box fan from WalMart.
Keep cool!!
