keeping chickens cool in summer heat

[meganblythe]

Good question, and lots of good answers. I got my chickens last fall so this is the first summer for them (and me as a chicken owner in South Carolina). We've gotten up into the 80s the last two weeks and the birds have been very unhappy. Lots of panting and looking depressed. They were drinking out of nipple drinkers before, but I decided to put a pan of water (actually a small, clean cat's litterbox!) in their coop to see if they needed more water or wanted to stand in it. They loved it! They all drank a lot of water and promptly got diarrhea - but I read that's just another way for them to get rid of excess body heat... The chicken who seems to get the hottest - the most panting - stands in it too. I've also been spraying down the ground in their coop and they really like to walk in the puddles. They don't seem to want to be sprayed directly with the hose, but seem to be venturing close to it and running through it to get their feet and legs wet. It reminds me of kids running through a sprinkler! I've also got a jug of water in the freezer that I'm going to try putting out there when it gets really hot...

 

[Whittni]

Over in Southern Utah, we're getting 115*+ weather everyday. I mist the chickens everyday in the shaded areas of their run and provide watermelon or cantaloupe.

 

[HiDesertChicken]

I also live in the SoCal desert near Joshua Tree Nat'l Park. I use metal oil drain pans filled with water and change it 2-3x a day. The cheapest ones I found were on the DOItBest website. Several are standing in the water right now. I have an enclosed coop, but the run is covered with industrial shade cloth I was given from construction sites where they have to install that dark green wind-block mesh. Works better than all the other shade cloth. I also feed alfalfa daily and wet it down thoroughly. They then dig in the wet areas and rest in the cool earth.

 

[appps]

Well at 100 I didn't worry too much other than shade and cool water. I figure like the cold they have to acclimatize to our regular hot to survive those super hot days we end up getting each year

When it hit 104 I rigged up a misting spray and locked them out of their coop as it was hotter but that's of course where they wanted to be.

When it hit 113 I worried myself sick lol and ran the mister all day long They all made it through the freakish hot couple of days.

 

[MeMotherHen]

Hypertay: i read how you have broody hens, and judging by your comment you don't want them to be broody anymore? I have the same problem every month with three of my hens trying to be little mothers. I have a few hand me down dog kennels, and I use one medium sized one for my broody buster. I take the plastic floor out of the cage so it's just wire all around, set it on the roosts, and put food and water for them. Not putting any bedding helps air flow, and doesn't allow them to feel cozy like they do in the nesting box. Sometimes I fit two birds in one, and it takes about three to four days to break them. My girls are just over a year old and I've had to do this method a dozen times...in fact I have a broody mother right now. So I put her in the cage for now and in a few days I'll let her out. I do take her out at least once every day so she can stretch, run around, and remember how nice it is to be outside and not stuck in a stuffy nesting box day in and day out. So just a helpful tip!

Also on the subject of this thread. I take plastic containers and fill them with water and put frozen berries:strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black berries, and freeze it into an ice cake and they go nuts over it. I have this one hen that will go after the ice like it's the best thing in the world...she'll hoard it in the corner and crack the heck out of it!! it keeps them cool while it is still frozen, and provides an some nose diving in nice cool water.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

This is how I do it.

 

[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

 

[cj7795]

I was reading all these great posts & saw the receipe for "Chickie Gatorade" ... what is that all albout?

 

[chicken-herder]

Here my chicks are trying to stay cool in front of the fan!

 

[LOVEMYCHICKS03]

This is a great thread! I've been sitting here for over a half hour soaking up knowledge! Love being a member here!!! Yah!

your quite an interesting one...