MY Hens are Hot and Panting

[pwand]

My Hens are hot and they are panting, they do have shad outside, its hot here. any ideas on how to cool them down?

 

[gritsar]

Fill gallon milk jugs with water and freeze. Once frozen, lay them around in their pen or coop. Then hens will lay next to them to cool off.
You can also add some ice to their waterer. Offer ice cold watermelon.
We have a box fan going in the window of our coop facing out, to draw out the hot stale air.

 

[windtryst]

How hot could it possibly be in Canada in early June?
I bought a shade cloth from a Greenhouse Supply store to cover my coop. But I am in Pennsylvania, when it is hot it is usually humid.

 

[Emzyyy]

I give mine baths too or a fan in the coop

 

[pwand]

Its 84 F or 29 C . They have a tree which they are under. And hedges along there run. Thanks for the tips on the jugs. I will be doing some up, we have more heat for the next few days, tomorrow is going to be even hotter. Its been cool and suddenly hot. Probably a bet shocking to the girls. I have refreshed there water for them.

 

[gritsar]

I noticed mine panting when the weather first turned suddenly hot and then they adjusted and the panting stopped.

 

[YeOleBroodie]

I do a lot of spraying the runs and surrounding areas for them. Evaporates & helps cool. They do seem to love playing in any puddles that creates.

2l pop bottle frozen, put in their water helps to keep the water cooler.
They get watermelon, yogurt, cottage cheese, even make them egg nog..

..without the spices. I have even tried frozen veggies in their water.
All helps to cool them.

Seeing my garden is fairly close by I will put my sprinkler on to water, again evaporation. They enjoy that.

Fans can be used in the coops but I use mainly a south - north pop holes to keep that air moving. Windows wide open as well.
They are not used to the heat but then again, neither am I at first.

Good luck on keeping your girls cool.

 

[Autumn Mama]

Quote:
Ha-ha! I can vouch for the heat! We live in Fort Langley, BC, just a short ferry trip across the ocean from pwand, and our last few days have broken records set in the 50's. We were at 30-31 degrees C (90 degrees F +) the last three days and then the next couple will be as warm or hotter. Our weather patterns in the southern part of BC are changing, and temperatures are averaging higher...Normally we don't see the 90's until late July or August...

pwand, hello neighbour! Sort of...

I am planning to try the bottles of frozen water, as well as purchase one of these:
http://healthzone.shoptoit.ca/shop/product--catId_1001206__locale_en__productId_1854973.html

I will spray the inside of the run (that applies to me,) but maybe you could run the sprinkler in the area they are free-ranging, or just adjacent to it?

 

[Mahonri]

Mine will be HOT and panting until October.

Ice. Fans.

I almost wish I would have insulated my coop and put in a window AC unit!

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
I have a small window AC unit...I am about to remove the hardwire cloth from my small window and stick that in the window. I can run it on low cool in there and give them a place to retreat from the heat.