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

[analyticalblonde]

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.

Ahhh...good point! I have two of those long tub waterers which holds about 2 gallons each...I usually put three of the 9 fl. oz. frozen cubes in their waterers, swish it around to bring the temperature of the water down...it usually is equal to the temperature outside which can be like today (95 degrees) and then just floats on the top until melted.

 

[analyticalblonde]

Its so hot and humid in way-Southern Ohio that the town is recommending everyone eat ice cream (along with all the other “drink more water/stay indoors/check on your neighbors recommendations)! I’m all for that! Hubby made frozen custard last night. Two thumbs way up!

You are so lucky to have a Hubby who makes frozen custard AND listens to the town call-outs

 

[analyticalblonde]

When we purchase our land, it was a pasture for horses before and the person never planted anything...no trees, no shrubs, no nothing. Our budget for this year was used up in replacing then fencing around our 2-acre parcel and building a retaining wall our contractors wouldn't do! So we have to wait until early next Spring to do the landscaping...until then, we purchased an integrated coop/run that has a full canopy because of the hot/heat this area is known for...

 

[analyticalblonde]

There may be additional info / ideas in these links

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/

Thank you so much for the links...I greatly appreciate it!

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

Oh thank you so much!!!

I give them chilled blueberries but not frozen...I have thought about freezing my fruit other than the watermelon I mentioned thinking it would cool their core temperature and give a little bit more water that frozen bits can provide. Do you think a hose that is attached to a misting unit is a good idea?

MY girls love frozen bananas

 

[Njroosters]

Just give them plenty of water and shade. They will generally be fine. The birds are very tough.

 

[Fatherdowling]

When my birds got hot when it was in the 90's, I threw ice down on the ground and laid a cold wet towel on top the ice. When the birds got hot, they would lay down on the towel to cool down. I also had a small fan blowing on them as well. It seemed to work great, their panting stopped almost immediately.

 

[Peepsi]

Hi All,

I have 10 young girls (2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Lavendar Orpingtons, 2 Ameraucanas, 2 Barred Rock Plymouths, and 2 New Hampshire Reds) which I selected because of their Heat/Cold tolerances and their gentleness and who are supposed to start laying in the next couples of weeks. I go out every day and put large ice into their waterers (think Dixie Cups when we were younger but not flavored - just water that I have frozen). I give them slices of frozen watermelon, peas, corn, carrots, green beans) as well as chilled treats. I live in what is known as the high desert - above 4,500 ft but hot, dry, sometimes very windy....dry...dry...dry! Average humidity is about 30-35%...not much at all.

Anyway, I see all of my girls panting - mouths agape - and holding their wings out a bit away from their bodies. I have a covered integrated coop and run with nesting box on the east side.

I am worried and am considering buying one of those portable misting systems that you hook up to a garden hose and use it to help cool them down. I found this one on Amazon...https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004INGNPG/?tag=backy-20

Anyway, I am a newbie and want to know if I am over-reacting?

Also, I have them on grower feed and think I am supposed to covert over to layer feed ONCE they start laying...is that true or should I be giving them layer feed now knowing they will be laying soon?

Most importantly, is their behavior normal? Mouths open, wings slightly opened away from their bodies?

Greetings to you from Salt Lake City! Yeah, Utah gets extreme weather, that's for sure. It's SO HOT here. We're hitting 100's for the next three days, and it's miserable. You're not over-reacting at all. It's miserable here right now for your heavy breeds, but you're on the right track and the advice given in this thread has all been good.

 

[analyticalblonde]

When my birds got hot when it was in the 90's, I threw ice down on the ground and laid a cold wet towel on top the ice. When the birds got hot, they would lay down on the towel to cool down. I also had a small fan blowing on them as well. It seemed to work great, their panting stopped almost immediately.

Oh....that's a GREAT idea! THank you!!!

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Its 100F in the shade for many days here in Florida, humidity varies up to 90% and more.

Traditionally Florida farmers free ranged their chickens and the chickens either roosted in trees or in lockable runs that had coops that are open on the south side and with the walls on the east and west side raised off the ground for air circulation (predator control relied on the run being secure and on free range farm dogs). During the day chickens found their own shade. One could accomplish the same sort of coop setup perhaps more securely by just making three of the four walls out of hardware cloth and putting a large lockable frame door in the front.

My chickens are doing fine in the heat. I'm not using a traditional Florida coop, instead I'm using a converted insulated shed as their coop. I did cut a large window in the door for air circulation at night and during the day I leave the door totally open. The chickens spend the hottest parts of the day on the shelves in the coop. The coop is built under some large pine and ironwood trees that provide shade all day. Perhaps will be problematic if lightening ever strikes one of the pines. But overall is great for the heat. Besides my jungle fowl, my breeds are white leghorns an wyandottes. Some of the wyandottes are heafty but they don't seem to have problems. They all have access to cool sand to wallow in when they want.

I wouldn't really know what to recommend besides giving them access to shade and cool sand making sure they have constant access to water. I keep my waterers full, but mine also have access to a deep, cool, pond just yards away from their run. I have noticed that when I'm filling waterers and the water hose makes puddles, they enjoy laying in the dirt where the puddles have absorbed into the ground.

On another part of the farm I have a small pre-made coop that's for my old English game bantams. They are not in any tree shade, but their entire coop and run is covered with a tin roof. Tin is a traditional roofing material in Florida because of how well it reflects sunlight. The coolest houses in Florida are those that have tin roofs. Anyhow, it seems to work well for the bantams. They spend the hottest parts of the day in the coop like my big chickens do and apparently they get enough air circulation to stay cool and prefer that to being out in the shaded run. Their coop has some small ventilation windows at the top about the size of a human hand and between those small windows and the coop's door, they seem to get enough circulation. Their coop is made of wood and the bottom of it is off the ground, so I suspect the breeze blowing under the coop helps keep it cool as well.