Keeping the Girls Cool in 90s & 100s temperature...?

[analyticalblonde]

Misting only is effective in and arid climate(very low humidity).

Deep all day shade is best but....I don't really have much of that, so this keeps my birds alive and pretty comfortable:

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!

I do have Sav-A Chick but only used it about 2 weeks ago...I think I will continue through the summer...bigger chunks in a tote like Tycine1 and you have mentioned...mine are just Dixie cup-sized so going a bit larger should be better! Thank you for your input and pictures!

 

[locoyosh]

You aren't over-reacting in regards to the heat. We lost 2 birds in one day last year during a heat wave. It was an eye-opening experience for us as we didn't realize that heat waves can kill chickens. We'll be giving them chunks of ice in tubs of water all weekend to try and avoid a repeat of last year. Good luck keeping your birds cool!

 

[analyticalblonde]

You can actually keep them on grower feed depending upon your situation. Mine are on grower because they are of mixed ages: 4 months to 1 year old, and I'm getting ready to integrate 6 week old chicks. I offer oyster shell on the side, of course. I also have a Brahma who is still growing at 1 year. And I have an early moulter. They free range most of the time, so the extra protein makes me feel better since their diet is mostly grass and such. If yours are penned and of the same life stage, layer is fine.

BTW - I love your run and chicken jungle gym!

Thank you for the information! They are all of the same age and I have starter grit out to free choice on because of the different treats I provide. I am running low on grower and have a 25 lbs bag of layer ready to go as well as adult grit and oyster shell that I will put out soon.

The jungle gym looked like a lot of fun for the girls but they haven't warmed up to it yet (excuse the pun). Still, when they are ready and don't think it is a monster in their run, I'm hoping they will play on it. The tire is full of topsoil and sand in the hopes they would use it as a dusting bath station...for now, they just hang out on the rim of the tire and sit in the dirt and sand...no bathing in it yet!

 

[analyticalblonde]

You aren't over-reacting in regards to the heat. We lost 2 birds in one day last year during a heat wave. It was an eye-opening experience for us as we didn't realize that heat waves can kill chickens. We'll be giving them chunks of ice in tubs of water all weekend to try and avoid a repeat of last year. Good luck keeping your birds cool!

Thank you!!! And I think I will be going to Walmart to pick up larger containers to freeze up ice plus a little tub with water to put the chunk ice into. I just want them to be comfortable in this heat! Thank you again!

 

[bluemerle]

I really do recommend foliage. Shrubs, maybe a patch of grass, the fastest growing tree in your area. That helps a lot - with a grass/tree shade combo, my birds hardly ever complain about the heat.

However, I have used misters before, and yes they are absolutely worth it. They really do noticeably cool it down - to the point where you'll want to hang out with them. Just turn the hose off before you go to bed at night so if the hose busts you won't wake up to an enormous mess.

 

[aart]

No need to add water to the ice chunk, it will slowly melt for sipping,
in fact better not to actually, you don't want them to gorge on ice water.
I have seen a chicken suffer from an 'ice cream headache'...
...I thought she was gonna keel over and die.

 

[Ebony Rose]

 

[Aunt Angus]

I forgot to mention that I use misters as well as fans with bottles of ice in front of them. That makes a significant temp difference in the coop. I have seen the temp drop using a thermometer. The girls don't much care for the misters, per se, but they do like the wet ground beneath them. I also used electrolytes and vitamins in their waterers on 100+° days. What's really helped is cheap beach umbrellas and leaving extra pans of water all over the place. They drink more this way because they'll be walking around, come across some water, and it's like they think, "Oh - water! I should take a drink!" And the occasional melon or cucumber helps, too.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

What are you recommendations for hot and humid? I'm in Maryland and with this heatwave right now, before 9am, our temp is 82/real feel 92 and our humidity is 73%. We'll be at or near 100 for the next few days. Their run (12x12) is covered so they have lots of shade. We were wondering if a mister would help or is the humidity too high? We have a big fan that we are going to use blowing out of the run on one side, pulling in the hopefully cooler air by the mister.

 

[aart]

We were wondering if a mister would help or is the humidity too high?

Probably not.....it's already humid enough and misting doesn't do much good even for us with no feathers on our skin. Misting works great in AZ or other arid climates.

We have a big fan that we are going to use blowing out of the run on one side, pulling in the hopefully cooler air by the mister.

I'd not pull misted air thru your fan, can't be good for it.

I do use a fan in the coop. Mounted in east window(where it's shaded most the day) to pull cooler air into coop, and push hotter air out, for a few hours before roosting time. It helps some, except for times like these where the 'feels like crap' temps last all night.