Keeping Chickens Cool

[MROO]

I am also now realizing that I had planned in putting a BIG block of ice in their foot bath (kitty pool). My only worry is that they will try to jump on top of the block and slip when they land. I don’t want them to pull a muscle or twist a leg.
Do you know a way to prevent that?
Thank you all very much for your time and knowledge,
Emerson

Put your ice block in a small dog kennel or bird cage, or rig one out of hardware cloth. You really don't want them sitting on the ice. As weirdly nice as it may sound, you really don't want frostbite in the middle of July!
And for a great foraging/boredom buster - drill a hole through a whole head of cabbage. Run a piece of heavy rope through it and hang the whole thing in their coop or run, low enough for them to reach it from the ground. It'll swing just enough to keep them interested, but not get hurt ... and with only a few chickens, one should last all weekend. Cauliflower and good lettuces (not iceberg) work, too, but fall apart really easily, so they only last a few hours. Long term, use cabbage. Aside from being healthy for them, both mentally and nutritionally ... it's very entertaining to watch!

 

[aart]

Deep all day shade is best but....

I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves. It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place. Always have plain water available too.

BIG(9x14x2") chunks of ice last all day for wading, sitting, and sipping.
Much more useful to the chickens than frozen foods and treats.

Make space in your freezer!

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Deep all day shade is best but....

I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves. It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place. Always have plain water available too.

When you say that you give a dose, do you mean you mix up the solution, give them a bowl full one day and that's all you give? I dump their water everyday but I have several bowls. They have a 5 gallon bucket with nipples that is their "usual" water, but when it gets really hot, I put use two 2 quart bowls in their run and another 2 bowls out in the yard for when they free range. Should I put the solution in all the bowls for that one day?

 

[Acre4Me]

When you say that you give a dose, do you mean you mix up the solution, give them a bowl full one day and that's all you give?

Anytime you give electrolytes, they should also always have access to fresh plain water too. So, in your case, you could put electrolytes in all bowls as long as the usual 5 gallon water is available and accessible.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks!

 

[aart]

When you say that you give a dose, do you mean you mix up the solution, give them a bowl full one day and that's all you give? I dump their water everyday but I have several bowls. They have a 5 gallon bucket with nipples that is their "usual" water, but when it gets really hot, I put use two 2 quart bowls in their run and another 2 bowls out in the yard for when they free range. Should I put the solution in all the bowls for that one day?

I use HN's for their regular waterers. I use open gravity waterers to dose the birds with the EL.

Anytime you give electrolytes, they should also always have access to fresh plain water too. So, in your case, you could put electrolytes in all bowls as long as the usual 5 gallon water is available and accessible.

Yes, for sure!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I am also now realizing that I had planned in putting a BIG block of ice in their foot bath (kitty pool). My only worry is that they will try to jump on top of the block and slip when they land. I don’t want them to pull a muscle or twist a leg.
Do you know a way to prevent that?
Thank you all very much for your time and knowledge,
Emerson

That would be the least of my worries.

 

[KellyReed]

Hello,
I have a flock of six hens that are just over a year old. Our area has a heat watch for 107 and up over the next 3-4 days. My family and I have planned to go to the beach this weekend. We have someone who is going to come by our house once a day to do daily care. I saw ways to make DIY a/c units, but they all require ice that needs to be renewed every once in a while.
Does anyone know ways to keep chickens cool for a long time? Preferable quick to make so that is can be set up before we need to go to the beach, but me and my mom are willing to put in any amount of work to get it done in time.
Is there a way to make the ice last for a longer time or any other way so that is could cool for 10 hours with no filling except for at the beginning?

Thank you so much,
Emerson

I know it sounds like a little much and I don’t know your set up, I have just five Silkies in a 7’x7’ coop and I spent the money to get a portable a/c unit. It was about $200 but well worth it! I live in southern Louisiana and their coop stays a nice 70 degrees. They have a run outside and a free range yard with lots of shade but it’s good to know they will be cool even on the hottest days.

 

[aart]

I live in southern Louisiana

I can see where that would be worth it, wished me and the birds had AC the last couple days.

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

..., I have just five Silkies in a 7’x7’ coop and I spent the money to get a portable a/c unit. It was about $200 ....

That doesn't even take into consideration the cost of electricity to run the AC unit.
Most portable AC units in the $200 range are about 10k BTU, that would make it about 1,000 watts. That would cost about 11 cents an hour to run. If you were to use it six months out of the year, the electric bill would be about $500 a year.
Those are some expensive silkies.

I have 6 housing units. One has less than desirable amount of ventilation so I run a box fan blowing in the window at the roost in summer and winter.