Keeping cool (or at least not as hot) - help needed!

[tleventer]

I have a dozen 2 week old Australorp chicks and 14 turkeys (same age) in my brooder house. I only purchased my farm last summer but I think this is what this building was originally used for and it worked fantastic last October to raise 25 pullets. So far so good except for one thing... temperature! there's no electric in the building but I've run an extention cord from the barn to power brooder lamps to keep them warm. However, it's not warmth that I'm concerned with... but HEAT! There are 4 windows in the building, but all are solid save the 1 panel out of hte east window that is broken (this is where I run the extension cord through). There are also 2 roof vents. Our recent temps have been in the upper 80s pushing 90 and when it's sunny and humid out, it gets downright HOT in that building. I've been turning off teh lamps during the day and even have a box fan in the window so air gets circulated, but the chicks still seem to be overly warm (many are panting). Today is nice ... roughly 80 and rainy, but the next 2 days are supposed to be 90 and sunny again.

I know with Rabbits you can fill 2 liter bottles and freeze them to give them somethign cool to lay against. Can you do anything like this with chickens and turkeys? I can't leave the windows or door open as my barn cats would make lunch nuggets out of the poor chicks. But I'm VERY worried about them getting too hot. Any suggestions? My only other thought is to take out windows and replace with a wire screen... and if I have to I will, but that's a LOT of work... plus there's no easy way to do it so it can be re-installed quickly in case of storms.

HELP!

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

Not that I have warm temps where I'm at but to give them a cool down on a hot day, take a chilled watermellon, slice it and take to them. They love the mellon and the coolness with chill them a bit. You can also add ice to the water bit I would only do that for hens, not pullets. Good luck and feel free to send some of that heat up this way.

 

[bburn]

Last year I too was concerned about the heat. I was told that a frozen gallon jug will decrese the temp in a coop like that. I did it for quite a few days. I also put a jug of frozen water down in the five gallon water to float and it would finally thaw out by the end of the day.

This year I am freezing water again. I mostly put it in the waters. I go out a couple times a day and give them fresh cool water. I don't have any really small ones now....all are two months and up. I feel that the cooler water helps them. Also my coops are tin and I run water on top of them to help cool them down.

And of course watermelon cold from the fridge.....that has to help!

 

[Whitney13]

I don't know if it works for smaller chickens but I give all my hens a mud hole to play in when I water them. It last for a couple of hours before it dries up and the hens absolutely love scratching and laying in it. It is probably not a good idea if you don't want muddy chickens but since it is already reaching 100 degrees here I don't really think I little mud will hurt. I also give them ice chips in their water bucket and they try to catch those too. They also have a shallow pan that I keep water in outside in the run but that may not be a good idea for young chickens.

 

[ll]

That mud pit sounds fun ~ I wonder if they would like ice cubes mixed into mud?

How about a cantaloupe with ice cubes in the hollowed middle? Chilled cataloupe juice with extra pulp

 

[WendyGrama]

Mixed batch of pushing 3 weeks... I tried the suggestion about the frozen water in bottles, only used my reuseable camp coolers. They are rectangular or square and flat. I wrap them in a towel so the chicks can't get at them and lay them on the floor of the coop. I have a mixed batch and the banties are still loving our heat wave and easily chilled, they will jump on and off it but don't stick around, my 5 standards are treating it like a dust bath, they fluff up, stretch out, roll on it and sleep on it etc. No more serious panting either. And the 2nd hand towels are easily washed up and reused.

 

[Chick Charm]

If your building does not have adequate ventilation you need to get them out of the building during the hot spell. I know what heat can do to chickens. Most breeds can tolerate heat but must have the protection they need. VENTILATION is paramount or they WILL die. Outdoor breezes work only if it can get into the building.

It was 118 last Saturday here and all my birds did fine. Shade trees, ice in the water, misters soaking the yard and the garden beds where they like to dig beaulieus to keep themselves cool in the moist dirt. But they were all outside away from their coop that gets scorching hot in the sun but is cool at night because it has lots of ventilation.

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
My coop is open in the summer and in the winter we cover it with panels. They get a nice cross breeze. When the sun hits their run they go inside where they're out of the sun and there is the breeze. The pens all have a little house with an open run attached. They can go where they want and I always go out several times a day to check waters and refreash if needed. I also do the frozen water bottles. Thats all I have in my deep freeze. Frozen gallon jugs and smaller water bottles frozen for the smaller water containers. If they thaw out and their water gets warm I just put a frozen one and put the thawed one back in the freezer.

 

[tleventer]

Thanks for the replies. Will be (of course) constantly working on improving the conditions. Hit 92 yesterday (and will be again today). Unfortunately, I was gone all day (theater competition) but no one seemed the worse for wear last night when I got home. Removed one of the windows and covered it in wire. Pulled in a 2nd fan from the barn. Put in 2 frozen jugs of water. Like I said, everyone seemed happy and healthy when I got in last night. So I repeated it all today.

 

[BrahmaBrock]

Maybe you could put the wire screen on the outside of the windows to where you can still open them from the inside and not have to take the windows out. You might also try putting the ice in front of the fan to create a cool breeze for them. I have a metal building with a metal roof and I face the same problems inside my coop with heat, but I put the foam insulation on the ceiling and that seems to help hold the heat out some