NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

TOB
I could let them free range all the time ..they would be cooler in the shade trees however I keep them in when I cant watch them / or be out near them ..as I dont want them to be fox food .
So they are in the run most of the day

I have a Osculating Floor Fan inside my run..And a Pet Mister .that continues to spray ..It is wonderful when I am in the run with them
Refreshing spray /Except when It hits my glasses ! UGH !

http://www.wepostit4u.com/images/Auctions/petmistsystem.JPG -
Shameless Commerce : I am also selling them ...10.00 total shipped for my chicken friends

Am I babying the chickens ? I dont think so ..They are still hot & panting
IT is STILL 90 degrees in there ..
Consider Everyones Advise & then
Go with your GUT feeling and Do what YOU think is best for YOUR chickens .

We do have Air Conditioning in the house ...but it is still 80

 

[rancher hicks]

I was at Lowes yesterday to buy 1 x 3's to make window frames for the coop (hardware cloth windows). I scored 4 pieces of 2 x 4's, various lengths, for 1 cent each! Just the right size for a couple new roosts I need.

I've hung fans in two coops but not sure they're worth much. 100* in the large hoop coop yesterday. It's not in the shade.

 

[rancher hicks]

NOOK-NOOK,

was it you that just posted a recently completed pen with the metal roofing? It looks FANTASTIC. What a lot of nice, shady room for your flock. Nice job!


QUESTION FOR ALL WITH REGARD TO THIS UNGODLY HEAT AND HUMIDITY:

Does anyone use a fan in their coop(s) ??

I have a heavy, safe extension cord plugged into an outdoor outlet nearby for now and therefore have the capability of running a fan for the girls. The coop, despite 2 windows and a large screen door, still gets pretty hot. We use fans for the horses at the barn, but they SWEAT. So the moving air cools them by evaporation. Chickens don't sweat, so will the fan be a benefit?

Please weigh in. I am worried about this heat. I keep the birds outside as much as possible, but there are times when I have to have them inside due to the logistics of 2 (temporarily) separated flocks.

THANKS!


TOB

Yep but my one coop is so dusty I have to brush off the screen each day or it gets blocked up. I really should vaccum it out , but it means dragging the shop vac out through the yard. I might when this heat dries things up more.

 

[rancher hicks]

All I do for the heat is make sure they have extra waterer's that I fill with ice. I did give them some electrolytes in one waterer today. Also frozen fruit like watermelon, blueberries and apples. Extra water in them to keep them hydrated. I also gave them some peat moss to dust bathe in. Mine also free range sort of. 200 ft of electric netting gives them plenty of space and I have trees on the border that give them shade plus they have 2 shade huts as well.

I won't use a fan. I want my guys to be able to tolerate the heat on their own. I have a hoop coop but I put the sides up and have vents at the top and on the sides so why its warm in their its def cooler than outside.

They are panting in this heat but still forage in the cool spots in the morning and evening. During the heat of the day they are all under the huts in the shade napping.

Believe it or not I've a friend who has lost birds to heat. Heat is harder on them than the cold.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: Rancher ...dont overdo it...Your body is trying to say take it a little easier ..
Exactly ...The 2 fans just made it bearable ...in those coops ..

 

[cocopop]

I have been soaking wet towels on the side of there pens and the cool air or fan provides cool air. Not to mention it kinda provide a bit of a shade. How many pens are you trying to cool?

 

[rancher hicks]

So now that the heat index has hit 100 here I went out to check on everyone. All the big girls are out in the woods trying to stay cool and our Cochins have taken refuge under the bamboo.

Chris

My BM's are in the woods where it is cooler. I was going to offer the suggestion to NOT mow the whole yard but leave some to get over grown. The young ones hide out in the tall weeds, that used to be my flower garden. There are the occasional flowers like Day lilies that bloom and pink Peonies but not much else. It funny to see them come out of hiding for treats.

I also think it keeps them safe to some degree from aerial predators. Blacks, barred and cuckoo patterned birds hide the best.

 

[Metella]

Yes - I've had trouble with house sparrows ! I hate them! I can't get rid of them .... anyone have any ideas ???

 

[ke5hde]

We sit on 2 1/2 ac. I mow maybe 2 so there's plenty of room to hide from the hawks and get into the cool underbrush. Only the big girls get to free range and the bantams are penned up. In the past we cut the bamboo down, but since everyone likes to hang out under it, we leave most of it alone now.
I think the heat is the hardest on our youngest since they have no way to escape it. They get treated a little better, fresh cold water with electrolytes and my big barn fan sucking the hot air out of the garage.
I've yet to lose a bird to the heat and don't plan to either. I may actually have to drain some of the rain barrel tomorrow and add a few bags of ice to it.
Good luck everyone and remember to take lots of breaks.

Chris

 

[Glasshen]

With the heat I have mostly sat in various places in front of the fan. Weeded about an hour and a half this morning starting around 6:30. Then filled a couple of storage containers with some water and a bit of homemade dog shampoo and gave one of the girls a bath and rinse. She kept flapping at random intervals, but looked cooler and her heinie is much cleaner. She seems a bit shy of her dripping feathers, but don't think that will last long.