Low cost swamp cooler

[SGH]

I’m in AZ, I lost a chicken due to heat a couple weeks ago. I since purchased this evap cooler off of Amazon and it has done the trick for me. I’ve been letting it run 24 hours a day as our lows are still hot at night. It’s definitely made a difference, the chickens will stand in front of it during the hottest part of the day. If the chicken still look a little warm (have beaks open) I can go out and spray down a section of the bedding (rice hulls and shavings) it completely fixes the problem. I wanted to share as this cooler is reasonably priced at $144 with free shipping

Hessaire Products MC18M Mobile... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HFGJ3T/?tag=backy-20

 

[Ccort]

I’m in AZ, I lost a chicken due to heat a couple weeks ago. I since purchased this evap cooler off of Amazon and it has done the trick for me. I’ve been letting it run 24 hours a day as our lows are still hot at night. It’s definitely made a difference, the chickens will stand in front of it during the hottest part of the day. If the chicken still look a little warm (have beaks open) I can go out and spray down a section of the bedding (rice hulls and shavings) it completely fixes the problem. I wanted to share as this cooler is reasonably priced at $144 with free shipping

Hessaire Products MC18M Mobile... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HFGJ3T/?tag=backy-20

I am looking at getting a swamp cooler for the coop. Now that it's two years later...thoughts?

 

[springvalley123]

That's a great swamp cooler. I had that model or a previous year's model in black canyon city, and it was great. I put it on a timer to only run when the temps were forecast to be well above 90, since that's the temp that my birds' wings came out. I'm not in that much extreme heat any more, but find that a shallow pan/tray with an ice block helps a lot. The birds will stand in it and cool off. That and the half-filled 2-liter soda bottles, with water in them then frozen overnight. They can lay next to those to cool off. But for roost time, when you in Gilbert are in the heat of the day, that swamp cooler should really be a life saver! Also, those coolers do need to be cleaned now and then. Mine got build up of hard water deposits. Possibly you can prevent that by using a filter similar to those used for misting systems though.

And here's our state thread, would love to see you there!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/arizona-chickens.31227/page-8105#post-25921834

 

[SourRoses]

I am looking at getting a swamp cooler for the coop. Now that it's two years later...thoughts?

Evaporative coolers work where the climate is dry. They won't do anything if your heat comes with humidity. I can't remember if summers were humid in Ky.

 

[Ccort]

Evaporative coolers work where the climate is dry. They won't do anything if your heat comes with humidity. I can't remember if summers were humid in Ky.

We get both. Today's heat index will be a dry 110. Later this week it'll be a very humid and hot forecast. I love the heat myself but am worn out trying to cool off the hens. The ice melts quickly on these mega hot days. The mister is creating loads of flies. I have fans. So many fans!
I would like to find a way to add an ac unit in the coop next year but not sure how with the dust. Seems like it would prevent a lot of issues for us.
I figure I can use the swamp cooler on the dry heat days.

 

[springvalley123]

We get both. Today's heat index will be a dry 110. Later this week it'll be a very humid and hot forecast. I love the heat myself but am worn out trying to cool off the hens. The ice melts quickly on these mega hot days. The mister is creating loads of flies. I have fans. So many fans!
I would like to find a way to add an ac unit in the coop next year but not sure how with the dust. Seems like it would prevent a lot of issues for us.
I figure I can use the swamp cooler on the dry heat days.

Since you can only use it certain times, you might want to gradually acclimate the birds to the hot and humid weather so they don't go from standing in front of an effective swamp cooler to suddenly the next day, having temps of 90 with 90 humidity and really suffering. In other words, the difference from one day to the next is probably harder on them than enduring a bit of dry heat. Some/most people in AZ only use ice blocks etc in the hottest part of the day, for example (and don't use a swamp cooler at all). But the ice blocks in shallow pans will work with humid and dry heat and will really help.

 

[sophialoveschickens]

We get both. Today's heat index will be a dry 110. Later this week it'll be a very humid and hot forecast. I love the heat myself but am worn out trying to cool off the hens. The ice melts quickly on these mega hot days. The mister is creating loads of flies. I have fans. So many fans!
I would like to find a way to add an ac unit in the coop next year but not sure how with the dust. Seems like it would prevent a lot of issues for us.
I figure I can use the swamp cooler on the dry heat days.

you like 110 degrees. your crazy!!