keeping chickens cool in summer heat

[zteagirl71]

Wow, my husband said the same thing! He told me she had to have had something else wrong, since our four other girls are just fine. I still feel so bad for the little thing. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words.

 

[Leighe]

I put out a big pans, put water in them, and lay bricks down in the water. The water does not come over the bricks but the bricks absorb the water and stay cool. The hens and rooster go sit on the bricks (they don't like getting in water but they love sitting or standing on the wet bricks) and cool off.

 

[little buddy]

I have a shallow running stream through my yard. My chickens are always standing in it and drinking from it when its hot. I was thinking of a solar powered fan for the coop too.

 

[MarcoPollo]

I was thinking of a solar powered fan for the coop too.

We have a small solar panel and small fan for the chickens. It's awesome and I see them stand directly in front of it when it's hot outside. It has been in use for 2 years and runs as good as the day we installed it. Highly recommended!

 

[thehalien]

Ive found my chickens loving the frozen peas and corn that you can pick up from the grocery store. Super easy when your in a hurry.

 

[Magpie1]

Yesterday, in NW Oregon, we had nearly 100 degree heat. My laying hens were panting even though they had shade and a breeze blowing. I dragged a hose down to their run with a sprinkler attached. It was set so it covered about 1/2 of the roof over a small run off the henhouse and also most of the larger attached run which is covered with netting. They have access to a large orchard but most of them stayed in the run area just outside the reach of the water. I left it on for several hours during the heat of the day. When it was turned off, they had a great time wallowing in the wet area of the run. The ground wasn't muddy just slightly soaked and the water on the tin roof cooled the hen house too. The netting provided some dripping raindrops. I have another group of pullets that are in a kennel under some large fir trees with a tarp over the kennel and a shed roof over that. They stayed nice and cool without any extra help. I love the idea of the ice (both in the water and in the hen house). Home Depot sells a misting fan that you can put over a 5 gal. bucket of water/ice. I ordered one online.

 

[beccaWA]

I think I posted this last summer, but I'll post it again. My chickens hang out under my huge spruce trees, which I de-limbed underneath so there's plenty of room and shade. I put one of those misting hoses that you can get from Home Depot strung from the branches under there about six feet up. It cools it down by about 20 degrees. They love scratching around in the damp ground. I also run a rainbird so it sprinkles on the outside of the tree boughs, and also put large blocks of ice in their waterers. The ice floats and does not clog up the outlet. They also love cold watermelon, grapes (cut up) & cantaloupe.

My coop is large and totally uninsulated. It gets HOT in there, so I close a screen door to it so the hens will not go in there in the day and lay. I put those plastic stackable recycle bins with pine shavings in them in shaded places to get them to lay in those. (They are not stacked, but taken apart so just single bins). An hour or so before evening I start running a rainbird so it hits the roof of the coop and that cools it down for night. There's a fan in there running all day, but before night I put a large block of ice in a pan in front of the fan.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dorkfish]

Well, I brought them in to cool them in the shower stall. A/c, not water. The next day I tried it again, and dang if one of them didn't run off into the woods to get away. I think it made me feel better, but them, not so much.

 

[snhchick]

Hi,

Is there any difference in approach for cooling off chicks vs. adult birds? My 4 and 7-week olds were beginning to pant out in their playpen, so I brought them back into their brooder (still in the house; too darrn hot to finish the coop). The house isn't air conditioned, but is cooler than outside and I also put an ice cube in their water. Is it OK for me to soak down their playpen tomorrow given their ages. Also, if I give hem watermelon, grapes, etc. I need to start them on grit, correct?

I've been worried about building the coop for the cold (I live in New Hampshire) and not thinking much about the heat. Where do you place fans (high or low in the coop)? Most of my wire will be inside the stall that I am dividing; do I need to cut holes in the outer walls of the barn for ventilation as well? Every time I think I have their housing needs figured out, I find out something new! Glad to have all the great info, but it does get a bit overwhelming. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

 

[spdykat]

I got a misting hose today and rigged it up around the top of the run. I didn't run it too long for fear of getting everything wet, but reading others' posts i guess it won't hurt as long as the food isn't wet, right? we're heading into triple digits this week which is unusual where I am, and my poor girls are panting. I'm putting ice water in their waterer and also give them cold watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes; maybe a little wading pool will help too.