Keeping the girls cool in hot weather

[HarlessGals]

Better late on this reply post than never

. I've been freezing water-filled milk jugs. Then I place them tipped, no lids, in a tray in the yard so as the water melts it provides cold water for quite a while. Then later in the afternoon when we are home from work we replace them. The hens run to this cold water each time it's put out. They drink and step in it.

Of course this is in addition to constant fresh water and fans. Texas is hot and the hot weather has come early this year!

When you work, it's not always possible to do mid-day stuff so you have to be inventive. So far, so good, my girls have been surviving even with a heat index of 107 last week! Although egg production is down.

 

[ziggy]

I installed misters on my coop/run (pics on my BYC page). There is a shade cloth that gets damp from the mist and provides swamp cooler style cooling. Even when it is hot in the afternoon we usually get a breeze.
I use a battery operated timer on it so they can get misted when we are not at home.

I will put ice water pans out there when I am home.

 

[austinchicken]

"m going to post this in all the heat-related threads just to be sure to get the message out.

I installed a mister in one of my runs yesterday. Today was the first time I have seen them NOT PANTING in well over a week. I was delighted, and I'm sure they were too.

It might take them a bit to get used to it. They were leery of it and all the bravest one were hanging back in the coop or out in the other, less shady run. So today I spread a bunch of scratch in the run and waited for them all to be out in it and too jazzed about the scratch to care about anything, and I turned the mister on. That did the trick--they got used to it and then hung out there the rest of the afternoon.

 

[maf2008]

This is what I started today and the chickens are so happy... THIS IS THE HANG OUT PLACE in the run. All of the chickens gather at the "water fall"

I have an chicken automatic water fountian and cooloing watering system! This is so easy and I will never have to lug another hose to the coop and clean out the nasty chicken waters with alge! Please try this soon!

You will only need 5 things......

1) a garden hose (you maybe have one)
2) a timer (get at the garden center)
3) a "bubbler waterer sprinkler" (round ring kind by the water hoses)
4) a cinder or concrete block (lots of styles and sizes)
5) a hot water pan (this is a shallow round pan that fits under your hot water heater and you can get in metal or plastic. Its 2 inches deep and 3 feet in circumfrence.

Put the soaker/bubbler on top of the cinder/concrete block screw in the hose. (you may want to add wire to keep it from falling off) Place the hot water pan under the bottom and turn on the hose.

Its that easy. My chickens are the coolest chicks in town!
I let the pan overflow for a few minutes so the chickens can cool thier feet. I am adding some old bath tiles around the base so they will be even cooler on their feet

 

[chickenqueen]

Thanks to all of your suggestions about how to cool down the girls. This is my first summer with the girls.

Today at 7:30 pm it is still hot, down to 109 degrees. I went out early this morning and changed the water and they were already looking hot. I went and got my very large fan and put it on low and it did help make a breeze. I went out later and put it on med. changed the water and the silly girls went for the hot water instead of the cool in the fountain.

I came in an checked this site

and just have now added a container that you put under your washing machine, 2 frozen 1 gallon containers on their side in it and some cool water not very deep.

The girls finally did drink some of the water in the container, and they didn't know what to think when I put them on top of the frozen containers but after a few minutes, the air from the fan across the water with the frozen containers seemed to cool them down some. I've put some more gallons of water in the freezer so I can change them out. Will have to check on them once it gets cooler outside (hopefully below 100) I've been inside all day with the AC running, I thought of putting my window AC in the coop. Does anyone know if AC would hurt the girls??? I don't want to loose any to heat or shock

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

[peggyb43]

Its broiling here in Eastern Georgia, too. I have hooked up a four foot tall revolving sprinkler just outside their coop run, and turned it on. At first they avoided it, but after about ten minutes they are playing in the "rain" and seem quite happy. It also keeps the dirt in the run wet and cool for their feet. I hope this is a good solution.