Keeping cold tolerant chooks in hot climate.

[Maxkincaid]

I bought 3 breeds of cold hardy not heat hardy chooks Silver Laced Wyandottes, Golden Laced Wyandottes and salmon faverolle for Texas. I know what your thinking and yes I am a doofus. Since it's currently winter in Texas our girls will be nearly 9 months before the 90 degree days arrive and this year we had 2 weeks of consecutive 100+ degree days. I have a coop well ventilated with 4 ventilated side panels,and a fan in the ceiling that pushes hot air out and pulls cool air in on every side, a covered run with a roof and shaded spaces. Also going to grow vines over the coop thus creating more shade.Ive thought about putting a misting system in the run but I'm afraid it will make for a muddy unhealthy place to live where disease might thrive. However, I'm considering making a tunnel to a separate area with heavy shade and misters maybe even with a kiddie pool. Does anyone know if chickens will get in a pool if they are hot?

 

[HuffleClaw]

Just make sure your coop has plenty of ventilation and you keep cool, fresh, water out daily. They should be fine.

@007Sean or @Texas Kiki might have something to add..

 

[aart]

Ive thought about putting a misting system in the run

Is your area desert-like with low humidity?
Then a misting system should help, you'll just have to adjust when and where it's used to avoid puddles.

Not that hot here at least not constantly but my bird can suffer from 90's and high humidity.

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!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'd have the same issues with heat hardy breeds. With those temperatures you cannot pick a breed where you can ignore it. You can manage it but you will have to work a bit.

Provide as much shade as you can. Remember that the sun does not stay directly overhead all day. A lot of heat can come in from the sides, especially the west side when the sun moves that way. Depending on how your run is set up you may need to do something on the west side.

Provide lots of clean water. If the sun can hit the water bowl or container, it needs to be white or at least light colored. Dark colors cause solar heating. Cool water can help. Keep water in the shade.

Some chickens will stand in shallow water to cool off. Not all chickens, but some. It helps if it is cooler than air temperature. They will poop in it so set it up here you can dump it.

Don't be afraid of water. If your run stays soaking wet for a few days it can get unhealthy. A few hours or even a full day is no big deal. If it stays slightly damp instead of soaking wet it will not become unhealthy, plus the water will evaporate and cool that soil. In those temperatures I dump water in the run in the shade. They like to hang out and lay on that. Instead of being afraid of a mister, figure out how to manage it.

Those vines are a good idea and not just because of shade. The leaves give off moisture which evaporates and cools. Two bonuses.

Try to give them as much freedom as you can to let them pick where they want to be. They can find cooler spaces where you would never think.

Do not make your nests into ovens. Provide ventilation, especially high. Do not put your nests on a sunny wall of the coop. In Texas, avoid southern and western walls.

 

[Alaskan]

You have already gotten great advice.

It sounds like you have a good coop...

The 4 ventilated side panels.... does that mean the top half of the coop is mostly mesh/wire?

In Texas you actually do want a breeze over the perches.

My baby sister in Texas has a coop that is all wire for the top half, nice deep eves. Her chickens and other poultry do great. Her coop is in the shade of a couple huge old live oaks, so they only get dappled sun, that helps a bunch.

And her coops don't close up... so yes...they sit on those perches even through storms etc...... she hasn't lost any due to weather.

She is out in the Hill Country.

 

[Pork Pie]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/788391/keeping-chickens-cool-in-summer-heat

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/topic-of-the-week-keeping-chickens-cool-in-summer.1181934/

 

[Fairview01]

I live just north of Dallas and raise large fowl cornish. I have a raised coop that is in shade and open on 1 side. A tarp covered run. The ONLY special consideration i give my flock during the summer when it's going to be above 100 is to water down the run under the coop. When i get home from work most of the flock will be under the coop and have scratched out depressions in the dirt. That's all i do each year.

Now i will tell you that 2x during the summer i will loose about a dozen birds total. In July we will have a heat spike and then in August the heat comes on for real. I will loose 6-8 birds each time. These birds are the ones that arent heat hardy. As cruel as it sounds by not doing anything extraordinary i end up with summer hardy birds which is what is required in Texas.