Michigan

[chicken grandma]

Morning all!

Last year I put a fan in my coop and opened the window and the door to create a cross breeze. Our coop is in the shade and with a lot of cold water and shade our chicken did fine. Cold watermelon is a nice hydrating treat for chickens.

I did have to kick my broody hen out of the coop because it was just too warm for her to set in there all day.

Seems like last year the chickens that died were in the coop or under the coop and some were broodies.

Good luck to all as we start a hot week!

 

[Opa]

Heat is tough on every thing, birds included. Adequate water is critical and just a few hours without it combined with heat can be fatal. One thing I have found that helps is to moisten the ground of their run. Shade also helps. Since they are originally jungle fowl they handle the heat much better than we do a long as they have access to water and shade. Chicken coops without adequate ventilation become death traps. I read last year about a poultry barn in the south that, when a power outage shut off their ventilation fans and took over a hour to get their emergency generators started, lost over 50,000 birds.

 

[jrsckn]

I know... Boohoo. Lol.

What if you put an ad on craigslist for the trees; oak and cherry are great for firewood. In my area, oak and cherry go for up to $80/cord. People would be lined up at my door shoving money at me just to let them cut it down and haul it away.

 

[chicken grandma]

I am in Grand Rapids and have a black cherry tree that was cut down and chopped into pieces. If anyone wants that wood please p.m. me. Some of it is in smaller pieces and some of it would require a splitter to break it up into fire wood.

 

[vjwilmoth]

The much needed rain came and fortunately was over with before I needed to start frying fish. Dinner went off without a hitch and everyone enjoyed themselves. I heard from all of my kids that couldn't be with us today including my cyber daughter in Scotland. I don't know how the day could have been much nicer.

One of my stated to do projects for this summer is to run a water line out to the chickens. It will require trenching 200' down at least 48" and installing a yard hydrant. Dave and Amy gave me a gift this year that will require I accomplish the water project in order to use it.

Well now, that is a very nice faucet!

I am not an old timer... LOL, but frozen gallon water jugs hung in the coops at night. Hose off the coops with cold water... old kids sled in the shade filled with water for the chickens to stand in to cool off (my girls really like this), several watering holes, ALSO, take a 12oz bottle of water and freeze it, then put it in, bottle and all, in the water-er to help keep those cool, and this makes them reusable... Ummm... I think thats about all I do... OH I also hose down the brush area they like to hang out with cold water, its already pretty shady there so not worried about burning... This cools off the tree area that they hang out in... Wish I had a mister....

Shade and water is plenty for most chickens. To keep the water cold all day you can cut the top off a few 2-liter bottles, fill with water and freeze. Pop the ice block out of the bottle in the morning, and put it inside their waterer. And the number one recommendation: If you can free-range, do. Given the opportunity they will find the best places to ride out the heat. There is no substitution for allowing them to do what they need to do.

CX are more susceptible to heat than other chickens. Giving them a fan can be a good idea, even better if you can zip tie a hose with a sprayer set to mist to the fan so that they're getting cooled both by the air and mist.

Thanks for the advice Ladies! My chickens don't truly free range but they have so much space we call it that. They also have some huge willow bushes they spend most of their time in during the day. I may try the sled thing though.

Just think of all the veggies you'll have once it's done though. Unless of course you're plagued with voles. Those little children-born-out-of-wedlock are destructive! Worked on replanting today. Found so much hollow ground under the beans I was reluctant to even bother re-planting. If they come back I'm blowing the whole thing up. C4, here I come!

Do you have barn cats? We have 5 outside cats that kill, unfortunately, everything...squirrels, voles, mice, rabbits, chipmunks, birds. They climb TREES and take things out of nests too. And yea, they always have cat food available.

thats what I have done- they all really seem to appreciate ? that. I am somewhat expecting my Chimis to not be alive when I come home from work, and am surprised when I come home and they are.

I am going to work today. Hubby is on his own. Well, not really the girls will be in and out- one of them has to work today, as well. So pretty much on his own. He is doing really well, so he should be fine. He has a follow-up appointment tomorrow. I changed his bandage yesterday, and the incisions look really good. No swelling either, so he will be okay.

No crazy dream last night- FINALLY. I couldnt get comfortable and didnt sleep as well as I had for the past two nights, though.

Good luck to hubby today!!

Heat is tough on every thing, birds included. Adequate water is critical and just a few hours without it combined with heat can be fatal. One thing I have found that helps is to moisten the ground of their run. Shade also helps. Since they are originally jungle fowl they handle the heat much better than we do a long as they have access to water and shade. Chicken coops without adequate ventilation become death traps. I read last year about a poultry barn in the south that, when a power outage shut off their ventilation fans and took over a hour to get their emergency generators started, lost over 50,000 birds.

Wow, that's incredible. What a horrible loss. My coop has so much open space and big ventilation areas but on hot days the temp still soars in there. I don't know what to do about it. Should we get one of those small attic type fans and attach it to the cupola area to pump out the heat?

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote: VJ - that is what I did. Opened a window and a door and got the air flowing through with a small fan.
Also, running water on the coop with a hose or putting some ice water jugs inside it sounds like it would help also.

Our hen got broody and wanted to spend her days setting in the coop. But it was 90-100 degree in there so I had to block her out. Our run is in the shade and breeze so with cold water and cold watermelon that was a best place to ride out the heat. Just have to make sure they always have shade and water.

 

[uchytil]

Anyone have a Buff Brahma hen, or two, they would let go?

 

[Bianca67]

This is little guy that got me roped into the Uggo business, since Mrs Robinson was the "extra in my "I know you only want one, but here's another one for you" from Mom2, lol) So, yeah... I'm pretty sure this dude is a dude. Right? Anyway, his name is "The Doctor". If you know what that means we can be friends. Even if you don't, we can still be friends. We just won't watch TV together.





Shoot. I feel like there was something else I needed to mention, and I've forgotten. Bummer.

I love The Doctor, WHO wouldn't!

 

[chicken grandma]

HEAVY RAINS in GRAND RAPIDS at 9:30a.m. HEAVY - those of you East of us - watch your chickens for flooding.

 

[SillyChicken]

welcome molson....

We finally figured out what was eating our garden. a female ground hog and her youngsters. I managed to get one of the youngsters yesterday. Saw mom this morning but she's hard to get.... but I will win, I will!

Hopefully, there is still time to plant more green beans.

Try to stay cool out there! Nice storm brewing, hope everyone fairs it well!


Looks like they're calling for a 40% chance of storms saturday. Lets hope it holds off! I'll probably go to CS in the morning, my DSIL does riding therapy with kids and she has classes in the afternoon so we won't be able to stay long. (unless I go alone!)