Nearing 100 degrees F

[gpresdo]

That was the first thing I looked into was how well different breeds handle heat. It's hot from May thru September (at least!) In Texas. By the way, panting is normal, mine pant all the time right now.

This discussion makes me think that I am CRAZY to even consider moving my girls from their super-shaded chicken yard/area where they are happily spending their days under an enormous old mulberry tree into a chicken tractor in the blazing sun. This issue is that they're not protected from predators under the mulberry tree. Their nighttime coop is safe, but they fly out of the yard and it's impossible to net up due to its size and the fact that the mulberry branches hang down so low.

The tractor has an apron of chicken wire to prevent diggers, and once they decide that it's home, they can be let out there will be an electric net to keep out predators, but the only shade will be in the tractor and whatever other small things I can rig up, nothing like their current oasis. What do I do?????? (We've had heat indexes well about 100 for the past several weeks, and they've not seemed bothered at all by it where they are. But I just lost 5 birds to a rogue neighborhood dog, and another one to a fox.)

The feeding, watering and roosting area of your tractor must be under tarp shade.
Lost...?...from the tractor?
Put the tractor under the tree during hot sun time.

 

[Double Yolked]

What a GREAT idea! How long did it take your grapes to grow up over the arbor?

Within one year I had sturdy long runners headed up the arbor and across and I picked grapes off of it! Grapes grow very VERY fast. By the winter I had picked several sturdy vines to be keepers, that is never to trim them and got them mostly trained in the direction I wanted them to go and I only trim off the vines that go elsewhere. By the next summer it was a sturdy protection from both heat and predators!
Hawks and owls won't fly into the hanging vines.

I allow most of the vines on top the arbor to survive. I know I could in theory get more grapes by cutting back more but I really wanted the over head protection for the hens more than the grapes.
And I get 150lbs of grapes off the grape on an average year! Enough for me and my neighbor. They make great juice and not half bad for just eating. Photos below. You can see it's pretty good sized.

 

[corriemartin]

FABULOUS!!! I am so totally going to do this!

 

[corriemartin]

The feeding, watering and roosting area of your tractor must be under tarp shade.
Lost...?...from the tractor?
Put the tractor under the tree during hot sun time.

"Lost" as is dog killed them.....NOT in the tractor.... And yes, there is a tarp over the top.

 

[BiddyBiddy]

I’ve built my coop and run under large pine trees which give some shade. I also hung a tarp for extra shade in one corner. In that corner I put down sand and wet it down with the hose. They really seem to like that and dig holes and lay in it. There’s also a big box fan facing that area. My girls love watermelon, so I keep a piece in the fridge and give it to them at the hottest part of the day. Even with all that they still pant and droop their wings. I guess when the heat index is 104, there’s not much more that can be done that will combat that high heat. That’s why placement of your coop and run is so important. I would try a thicker dark tarp to cover the run instead of the towels. That might give a bit more protection from the sun. Otherwise keep an eye on them on the really bad days so you can intervene if one of them can’t handle the heat anymore. I’ve had to bring in my huge fluffy barred cochin and let her soak her feet in cold water in my bath tub once already this summer. It’s especially rough on her.

 

[Double Yolked]

FABULOUS!!! I am so totally going to do this!

Great! Just be sure you make the roof tall, mine's at just over 6 feet since my hubby wanted it to not hit him in the head when walking under it. Reason? The chickens love those grapes too! Plus you don't want the silly idiots trying to roost on top of it. A determined flier can make it up above 6 feet but the normal fat little hen will be very happy to hide under it.
I had one fluffy little Orpington who could fly and would fly up into the vines and pick off grapes by the dozen, she'd toss half of what she pulled down and her flock mates would all gather beneath her happily devouring what she dropped.

 

[JanBarnett]

Right now, as I'm typing this, it's 90 degrees in Oregon.
Inside, the temperature is terrible. We have no air conditioning, and even using multiple fans isn't enough to keep us cool.

And as for our birds? They're out in the sun.

We hung up towels over the roof of their run to give them shade, and they've been in the shady spot for most of the day.
All day long they've been 'panting' with their beak open.
Two of our girls- Chickety and Valentina- have started lifting their wings whenever they get up and move to regulate temperature.
They have access to electrolyte water and we've been changing their fresh water constantly to keep it as cool as possible. They've spent most of the day laying in the shade or pecking at ice cubes we've frozen bits of apples into.
Right now, I have half a gallon of water in the freezer that- when frozen or very cold- I'm going to set into the coop so they've got something cool to huddle around.
Our girls are almost fully grown, about a month away from when we expect them to start laying.
However, from what we've gathered, young chickens have a harder time regulating their temperature than older chickens.

We're especially worried about Valentina- who, as opposed to our novogen browns- is a fully black australoop. She's been showing more signs of exhaustion from the heat than our other girls.

Is there anything more we can do for them to cool them down? We've given them shade, are offering them frozen treats, changing and cooling water constantly, and we're going to give them a frozen gallon to lean against in an effort to cool them down a bit more. But it's only supposed to get hotter as the week goes on, and we're getting increasingly worried that our girls are going to be suffering.

Hi! Try misting the ground down several times a day with water. The evaporation will temporarily cool them down. I have a mister that attaches to my hose, so it mists all day when it’s incredibly hot. I aim it *towards* their favorite shady spot, with the help of a slight breeze (hopefully) because, ...,well, they’re chickens and they won’t go lie in the mist to make me happy. They pretend to be terrified of the thing.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

I set up "cobra misters" that Home Depot sells then I built a 30 foot mist system along the east side of the run in the shade...they hang out there just out of the mist in the cool air it creates...its HOT EVERYWHERE this summer, so if anyone has more ideas please pass them on...my flock will greatly appreciate them.

 

[Simimaus]

Right now, as I'm typing this, it's 90 degrees in Oregon.
Inside, the temperature is terrible. We have no air conditioning, and even using multiple fans isn't enough to keep us cool.

And as for our birds? They're out in the sun.

We hung up towels over the roof of their run to give them shade, and they've been in the shady spot for most of the day.
All day long they've been 'panting' with their beak open.
Two of our girls- Chickety and Valentina- have started lifting their wings whenever they get up and move to regulate temperature.
They have access to electrolyte water and we've been changing their fresh water constantly to keep it as cool as possible. They've spent most of the day laying in the shade or pecking at ice cubes we've frozen bits of apples into.
Right now, I have half a gallon of water in the freezer that- when frozen or very cold- I'm going to set into the coop so they've got something cool to huddle around.
Our girls are almost fully grown, about a month away from when we expect them to start laying.
However, from what we've gathered, young chickens have a harder time regulating their temperature than older chickens.

We're especially worried about Valentina- who, as opposed to our novogen browns- is a fully black australoop. She's been showing more signs of exhaustion from the heat than our other girls.

Is there anything more we can do for them to cool them down? We've given them shade, are offering them frozen treats, changing and cooling water constantly, and we're going to give them a frozen gallon to lean against in an effort to cool them down a bit more. But it's only supposed to get hotter as the week goes on, and we're getting increasingly worried that our girls are going to be suffering.

I put frozen peas and carrots in a water bowl. They love fishing it out. I also have a couple fans plucked in to blow through the pen

 

[punkyjr]

I live in Phoenix and have chickens going through their sixth summer and still laying. They do not lift their wings to cool off. They free range and like to hang out primarily under a couple of trees that are watered daily and have mud. It is tough on a bird to be cooped up in heat. They do not seem to like misters.