Keeping chickens cool in the summer?

[CoopDeDoo]

Here is my latest discovery. A 18 dollar box fan strategically placed to create cross ventilation through the coop with misting outside lowered the interior temperature of my coop by almost 10 degrees yesterday. That brought the temp down from about 100 to 90. Still hot but a little better of my girls. For some reason they choose to stay in the hot coop rather than out in the run under the shade of their own peach tree and mimosa until the end of the day. The only thing I can figure is that it has something to do with the angle of the sun. As the sun sets they come out but when it is high in the sky they stay inside if it is hot.

I am just thinking I will be stopping on my home from work for a box fan. Not that hot here (80s) but Northwest coastal chickens are apparently like NW coastal people....cranky and miserable when it gets above 75f

 

[aldarita]

My girls stay in the run most of the day. It is interesting to watch them come out every time the sun gets under a cloud, even if it only last few minutes. I have fans all over the run and inside the coops. Recently added misters in the run getting prepared for the days when temps hit over 100F. Which is about now. I wonder if anybody is concerned as much as i am about fire. It has kept me awake some nights. There is so much dust in the coops and run that i think it is a fire hazard and i keep the fans in the coops on at night because the
breeze dies and it gets so steamy hot in there.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

My girls stay in the run most of the day. It is interesting to watch them come out every time the sun gets under a cloud, even if it only last few minutes. I have fans all over the run and inside the coops. Recently added misters in the run getting prepared for the days when temps hit over 100F. Which is about now. I wonder if anybody is concerned as much as i am about fire. It has kept me awake some nights. There is so much dust in the coops and run that i think it is a fire hazard and i keep the fans in the coops on at night because the
breeze dies and it gets so steamy hot in there.

I have thought about fires bec I have cords dropped all over. I got this cool thing from my pet chicken that you put around extension cord connections to water proof them. Of course they are not just put in the open but under shelter, but right now I have a temp cord with a connection in the open that I covered in plastic and duct tape so it wouldn't get wet. That one worries me.

 

[mbford2711]

I put one of those blue plastic baby pools in the run. My chickens LOVE it.

 

[mphsgal]

My dh designed a veggie / fruit tether ball using a long threaded eye bolt with a larger washer and wing nut at the end. I raise extra veggies (tomatoes, zucchini , cucumbers), partially freeze them then skewer and hang from the rafter of our covered run. They get to play, eat and get cool all at the same time!

Just bumping this great idea...

 

[julieh]

I put tinned sweetcorn in a plastic pot topped up with water in the freezer the night before, in the morning I pop it in their run- as it melts during the day they get a constant supply of cold corn & water. A chicken corn-lolly!

 

[Coop de Grass]

We purchased a small window AC for the coop to keep them cool at night. My husband says, next thing we know they'll be ordering pizza delivery and a tv and won't come out of the coop. Love my chicks. We got it from Walmart for $100. Spent more than that on feed and housing for them.

lol! When I have the chicks in the family room for the 2 weeks after hatch, they do like watching the tv! I wonder what kind of pizza they might like???

 

[DianaMallory]

I have a box fan in my coop but never thought about the filter. Brilliant! Less dust flying around thank you!

 

[chicken4prez]

I put water in old milk or juice jugs and freeze them. I put them in the coop and all of mine love sitting by them and sometimes even perching on them! It helps keep them cool for a while, and I just always keep a frozen jug on hand to switch out with the ones that melt.

Great idea!

 

[chicken4prez]

A thing that we have for the summer is a few tree's and the hens just hang around under the shade and gossip

We also make sure that the water jugs are filled with clean, cold water.