Need to hear from SE TX, LA, MS on heat/humidity and pullets!!!

[bionic_chicken]

I'm in SE Texas. Anyone from a similar climate - Louisiana, Mississippi, etc. - please chime in and let me know what to do about the oppressive heat and humidity for my girls who will move out to the coop and run within the next two weeks. They will be 5 weeks old on Monday. They are out in their little mini run right now. It's 90, high humidity, overcast, and they're panting occassionally. I tried telling them, "If you think it's hot now..." I'm really concerned about keeping them cool enough. There are five windows in their 6x8 coop, and I'm going to shade the entire run with the wavy fiberglass roofing stuff that comes in green or transparent. I'm afraid if I mist them in this humidity, bacteria will just take over. Any other thoughts? I have: a black cochin, australorp, slw, white rock, partridge rock, EE, and light brahma. I'm feeling really sorry for the 3 black chicks right now...

 

[smileybritches]

hi,
i'm on the coast in mississippi, it seems the main things they want in this heat is water(of course), shade, and a place to dust bathe. mine will dig a hole and all pile into it. i guess the ground is cooler a few inches down. i tried the misting and they wouldn't come near it.

 

[bayouchica]

Hi ,I'm in North Louisiana,try some soaker hoses in their run,soak the ground real good in a shady area. Another thing I do is make some shallow wading pools out of 2x4's & bisqueen.
I make vitamin & electrolyte water during the real hot days& keep it fresh & cool.
I have fans in my coops to cool them & keep the mosquitoes off of them while sleeping.They are so bad here,they wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't.
Cool treats are good too.

Cool watermelon is a big hit.
I've read some people on here freezing milk jugs for their chickens to lay against.
Good luck,I'm sure yall get more of the humidity & heat for longer than we do.
Miriam

 

[wynedot55]

you can get those small rubber pans.fill them with water.an the chickens will drink the water an soak their feet in it.that will keep them nice an cool.i always rinsed those pans out maybe 2x a week.

 

[chikenlady]

I am glad you posted this topic because I live in NW Florida. My babies are going to the coop this weekend. It is so hot today! My coop and run have lots of shade and I like the other ideas you all have posted. I did not know that chickens would wade in water to cool down.

 

[LeghornGuy]

I live in Louisiana and it is hot and humid.
I till or turn the soil so the chickens will have more opportunity to dust bath. I placed an extra container of water and I added more shade over the chicken run.

Does feeding corn to your chickens increase their body temperature or make them hot?

Someone told me that corn increases their temperature.
So during the summer, I try to limit the amount of whole corn and crack corn.

good luck with your flock and the stay cool.

 

[FeatheredFriends1]

Hi
I live in South Texas and I put fans on my chickens to keep them cool. The hens really like the fans and usually end up falling asleep in front of them despite the noise.

Also I heard that feeding chickens whole oats in the summer helps to lower the body temperature. I started giving my chickens whole oats a couple of years ago and it seemed to help a little.