Keeping chickens cool

[sweetshoplady]

dhunicorn, I've been giving mine watermelon, which they love. Can they have this everyday throughout the summer or is it better to not give it everyday?

 

[Morgaine]

I lightly hose mine off. They don't much care for it, but it does help them cool off. I also put a big shop fan on them which they do like(except for the polish) once they got used to it. I also change the water several times a day to make sure they have cool water. They are in a portable hoop coop I built that has a tarp over it for shade, but it gets really hot under there if they are in full sun, so even though they have shade from the tarp, I keep them under trees. I'm in texas and our temps have been in the mid 90's for a couple of weeks and is not letting up any time soon. I am definately going to check out the electrolyte thing some of y'all have mentioned.

 

[seminolewind]

So far, I've added another fan to the coop and don't let them in there till evening cause it's real hot in there. I wet down the runs. I put an ice block in a basin of water every morning. AND I just ordered one of those mist fans. What a great idea, it rotates back and forth, and spews a mist. They will love it.

 

[dogzrule5]

Mine are already getting hot too.

I'm going to hang a fan in the barn tomorrow. I'm also going to make a window opposite the door for additional ventilation.

 

[joanm]

Quote:
ok, I went to the feed store after work and bought electrolytes. The brand is AgriLabs and it's a 4 oz. packet and it says to add the contents to 128 gallons of water! Would a teaspoon be ok for a 3 gallon waterer?

I really have to find my password so I'm not Southern by day and joanm by night!

 

[k0xxx]

Sunglasses and little leather jackets will make them the coolest chicks around.

Actually, I have a friend that adds Gatoraid to their water. He claims that it helps and that they seem to enjoy it. I don't recommend doing it without hearing from some of the more experienced BYC'ers here, but it's a thought.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
What I do with my watermelon (yes daily if it is hot and I can afford the melons) is to scoop out the middle part (that is for me and the kids) leaving an inch or so of melon for them over all and use the indentation as a bowl...I put enough feed in there that I know they will eat before it gets hot and they peck the remainder of the melon throughout the day... I again use this as bowl for their feed in the evening when it starts to cool off...
Even when I add electrolytes and keep the water fresh and cool they will often avoid it and yet go peck the melon which is just basically water really and another hydration source.

ETA: Cooling their feet is really a great way to keep them from overheating...my silkies wont stand in water and so I have a bitty plastic thing (or a small plastic kiddie pool) half buried and filled with sand in the shade and I fill that up with water to just the rim of the sand... so it is basically a wet sand bath ... burying it keeps it cooler than having it sit on top of the ground.

 

[Cetawin]

Mine did that recently during the heat wave we had. I put 2 litre bottles filled with water in the freezer. When frozen, I put them in the tractor with them. It made the hot breeze very cool for them and they loved it. They even stopped panting. I also put electrolytes in their water...give them watermelon right out of the fridge.

I learned the trick with my daughter's rats. They could not handle the high temps either.

 

[seminolewind]

I cancelled my mister fan cause my DH found cooling misters that look like well, snakes? coiled and standing up ? that look great, he bought 3, hoses, and a multi hose connecter. Covers more area. I feed yogurt every day. Turns out, it has sodium and potassium in it, and it seems like the right dose for my 13 chickens.

 

[seminolewind]

I re ordered my misterfan. The misters that look like snakes from HD didn't work.