keeping chickens cool in summer heat

[Jijibaby]

I have a lot of shade in my backyard so most of my girls are happy with just that. On super hot days though, misting or spraying them with even just a spray bottle (although my chickens tend to think that the spray bottle itself is some sort of demonic blue hawk and run away from it) will work. They will also dustbath in cool dirt areas, so wetting the soil will also help them cool down. I've tried the foot bath thing, but my girls also seem to regard it as some sort of mysterious monster and stay well away from it, so I hope other people have luck with that.

 

[debbytingen]

I hang box fans in front of their house and it keeps them a little cooler. It keeps the air moving so they can breathe better.

 

[kodster]

What did it take to build and how does it work?

Looks pretty self-explanatory... small 7" fan, Styrofoam cooler, plastic downspout end piece, duct tape. Cut hole in cooler's lid at one end 1" smaller than diameter of fan covering, invert fan over it, duct tape into place. Cut hole in opposite end of cooler lid, 1/8" larger diameter than the plastic downspout end piece. Insert downspout end piece, duct tape into place. Fill cooler with ice, place lid on top, plug in fan, and enjoy! It works by the fan blowing across the surface of the ice, cooling the air, and the air flow escapes by the downspout, directed outwards into the room.

I must say, even though I'm in North Dakota now, I lived for 12 years in Kentucky (with brief stints towards the end in North Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee), so I guess I can qualify myself as "redneck", or at least enough to understand the thought process!

Cheap, improvising with materials you can obtain easily, or already have on hand.

 

[Morrow Chickens]

I bought a mister for ten dollars at my local feedstore. I just hook it up to a hose and it works great my chickens love it.

 

[lynn1321]

I live in Phx and like someone said before it gets really hot here (118) , but i put a mister on the inside of my hen house and turn it on for a good part of the day. They are happy and I am getting eggs every day. I turn it off about dusk so the ground can dry out a bit before the next day. I went to Home Depot to buy it and it was about $20.00 connect it to a reg garden hose and it works great1

 

[misschicken441]

In the heat you should try feeding them watermelon to keep them cool and satisfied! Sometimes if you have a kiddie pool you could fill it with cool water, enough to cover their feet, and then they should be cooled down!

 

[epeloquin]

Like many people, we chill watermelon and give it to them. They love that as a treat.

I think the most important way to deal with the heat is proper preparation in coop/run construction and placement. I built my coop with 18" of space under it for the girls and the whole coop/run is placed under a large oak tree so it is always shaded. This makes a HUGE difference for them.

I will also spray down their favorite dusting areas (in part of my garden) so that the soil is just moist, not muddy at all. I spray it down and then rake the soil. This way when they take their dust bath, the evaporating water will help cool them.

In extreme cases I will dip them in a basin of cool water. I usually just dip their legs because as their legs cool they will cool the blood as it flows through and that will cool their bodies down. Just like when we sit by a pool and soak our legs.

 

[fuzzy roster]

i live in digby so it doesnt get that hot but it gets pretty warm i just let them out and they hide under there house and roll around

 

[king cluck]

good idea

 

[themadchicken]

This is how I do it.

Do they actually get in the pool or do you have to put them in?