Keeping chicks and older chicks cool?

[WhitneyMarie13]

Here in Tucson it's been climbing into the 90s for the first time this week and past weekend...it was nearly 97 yesterday!

I read a lot of good ideas on keeping chicks/chickens cool during the summer a few days ago, but I wanted to see if anybody has any new, fresh ideas.

I'm also hoping people can confirm that I'm being paranoid about my older girls panting while outside in their run. They have shade, I wet down the ground a bit every couple of hours and I try to provide them with cool treats like yogurt and cold veggie scraps. I also recently starting freezing some water in some big cups and putting them into the bucket that provides them with water (they use poultry nipples and the water bucket is external).

I've been closing off their coop during the day because I noticed it gets very hot inside and the hubbs and I are working on ideas to add more ventilation so that when they start laying, they can access the coop or just use the coop as a shady place to rest.

I also have 2 chicks that are now a little over a week. They've been staying in my laundry room, but it's been getting pretty warm in there as well. I leave the door wide open when I'm home and I have a small fan running so that it circulates the hot, stale are out. I'd love to keep them inside, but when the cooler is running it can get pretty chilly in the house and I don't want them catching a chill. They are starting to feather out nicely, and every time I check on them neither of the little boogers are panting, nor are they sprawled out to indicate being overheated.

Ideas? Input? Just don't want any chicks overheating!

Thanks

 

[chirpingcricket]

Here in Tucson it's been climbing into the 90s for the first time this week and past weekend...it was nearly 97 yesterday!

I read a lot of good ideas on keeping chicks/chickens cool during the summer a few days ago, but I wanted to see if anybody has any new, fresh ideas.

I'm also hoping people can confirm that I'm being paranoid about my older girls panting while outside in their run. They have shade, I wet down the ground a bit every couple of hours and I try to provide them with cool treats like yogurt and cold veggie scraps. I also recently starting freezing some water in some big cups and putting them into the bucket that provides them with water (they use poultry nipples and the water bucket is external).

I've been closing off their coop during the day because I noticed it gets very hot inside and the hubbs and I are working on ideas to add more ventilation so that when they start laying, they can access the coop or just use the coop as a shady place to rest.

I also have 2 chicks that are now a little over a week. They've been staying in my laundry room, but it's been getting pretty warm in there as well. I leave the door wide open when I'm home and I have a small fan running so that it circulates the hot, stale are out. I'd love to keep them inside, but when the cooler is running it can get pretty chilly in the house and I don't want them catching a chill. They are starting to feather out nicely, and every time I check on them neither of the little boogers are panting, nor are they sprawled out to indicate being overheated.

Ideas? Input? Just don't want any chicks overheating!

Thanks

Wow, you guys are really getting hit hard and fast.
We have to deal with the heat and humidity here on the Gulf Coast. Sounds like you are doing everything you can for the ones outside.

We have open air coops/run (covered/wired sides and wood tin roofs-security) so that helps ventilation.

Around August, if I can't take the heat with them (in the shade) we plug up a large circulating contractor fan that can blow on all 3 coop areas. It runs mostly day and night.
We use tarping on the sides of the coops/run when heavy rains are expected or when weather gets cold. Hard to have a closed in coop due to heat/humidity around here. Most do the open air coops and put their nesting boxes etc inside.

With the chickies, you could hang a 75 - 100 watt bulb over there pen/sleeping area to keep them warm, if the A/C is on. I would be reluctant to put ice in with them unless it was covered with a cloth and wouldn't get their down feathers wet.

Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[SobbaChickens]

If this summer is anything like last year I'll have to figure something out myself. So far the temp has only gotten close to 80 but my chicks are in the garage and it gets pretty warm in there if the garage door is shut. Today I even turned off their heat lamp because they were all staying far away from it but then once the light was off they started chirping loud;y. I think I'm going to keep a normal light next to their brooder for when I turn off the heat lamp.

Good luck and stay safe. I know you are probably very use to that heat but for me anything over 75 is way too hot

Katie

 

[WhitneyMarie13]

Thanks! A fan sounds like a great idea and I was thinking about making a PVC pipe type tent to hang tarps from so that the chickens stay safe/dry during our lovely monsoons and so that we can leave windows/doors open to allow ventilation...crazy rain, crazy wind, and crazy heat/humidity out of nowhere is so much fun!

It's been crazy hot...no one is ready for this!

I haven't even thought about turning on their lamp since it's so warm, and the few times I left it on it became way too hot. I've even left the lamp off at night since the temp in the laundry room stays 75-80 and they haven't complained one bit...except for the first night of it being dark.

I'm thinking if it does get much hotter I'll put them back inside, which is where they were before it warmed up so quickly. I can always prop their lamp back up to make sure they have some warmth.

I gave the lil ones some cool water and they seemed to really enjoy it. The older ones love the cold water and their sand being wetted down...they run over once the hose is off and scratch, dust bathe and seem to just enjoy life!

I have popsicle molds that I'm thinking about using to make some cold icy treats for the older girls...put some grapes, water, lettuce and maybe even some pasta (their favorite) in the molds and let them enjoy the treat on the really hot days.

We're also thinking about adding some doors to the inside coop with wire mesh on the inside so that we can open the doors during the day, close them at night and lock them up during the winter months.

 

[SobbaChickens]

...I have popsicle molds that I'm thinking about using to make some cold icy treats for the older girls...put some grapes, water, lettuce and maybe even some pasta (their favorite) in the molds and let them enjoy the treat on the really hot days....

So smart! I might have to try that this summer.

Katie

 

[chirpingcricket]

Thanks! A fan sounds like a great idea and I was thinking about making a PVC pipe type tent to hang tarps from so that the chickens stay safe/dry during our lovely monsoons and so that we can leave windows/doors open to allow ventilation...crazy rain, crazy wind, and crazy heat/humidity out of nowhere is so much fun!

It's been crazy hot...no one is ready for this!

I haven't even thought about turning on their lamp since it's so warm, and the few times I left it on it became way too hot. I've even left the lamp off at night since the temp in the laundry room stays 75-80 and they haven't complained one bit...except for the first night of it being dark.

I'm thinking if it does get much hotter I'll put them back inside, which is where they were before it warmed up so quickly. I can always prop their lamp back up to make sure they have some warmth.

I gave the lil ones some cool water and they seemed to really enjoy it. The older ones love the cold water and their sand being wetted down...they run over once the hose is off and scratch, dust bathe and seem to just enjoy life!

I have popsicle molds that I'm thinking about using to make some cold icy treats for the older girls...put some grapes, water, lettuce and maybe even some pasta (their favorite) in the molds and let them enjoy the treat on the really hot days.

We're also thinking about adding some doors to the inside coop with wire mesh on the inside so that we can open the doors during the day, close them at night and lock them up during the winter months.

Wow, I feel for ya'll and dread it for us. Any thing and everything you can screen, do so. Be sure to use hardware cloth vs chicken wire alone, if you have problems with coons, possums like we do. Chicken wire just keeps chickens in... Just get that coop opened up securely every direction you can to catch a breeze and ventilate.
Now, all that rain, geez, don't I know it. YUK!! At least things will dry out fast with the ventilation as will the birds.

In the lower south, freezing temps aren't near as difficult to deal with re: chickens, doesn't usually last long. It took me a while to figure out why all the coops on BYC were "closed in". Then I realized that most of those posts and companys were addressing issues in the north. The south is totally different, especially re: the need for some type of worming program... Also, issues regarding bedding and flooring...just have to kinda keep those things in mind while reading suggestions.

I hope to 1 day come back around our open air pens with shutter doors, blinds or something to eventually get away from tarps. We have our system down, so that we can hang it via wires and know right where to attach, to get it up or down in a jiffy. Even in the coldest winters, it's comfortable in each coop. Also, be sure you have some roof overhang so the rain doesn't come straight down the walls. If you have walls, up, you probably don't have that problem.

I love all your ideas about freezing their treats. And my Mom thinks I spoil our chickens!!

haha
Enjoyed talking to you and best of luck to you both!