Other tips to keep chickens cool in 85°+ heat

[CallMeBokBok]

Hey everyone, I'm a beginner chicken owner. My wife and I finished building our coop, and we need more ideas about keeping our chickens cool this Summer. We live in southern California, and it's starting to get to 90° here, so we just want to make sure our chickens can withstand the season. They're 13 weeks old. One's a Lavender Orpington, another's an Olive Egger, and the last is an Amberlink.

They've been panting since we put them in our coop/run. So far, we have the following cooling solutions:

• Solar-powered fans blowing in the coop
• Misters for the run
• Shade cloth

The coop also has a window on each side as well as the front.

We've been giving them cold watermelon, and we just put a pan with cold water and bricks for them to stand in. Is there anything else that we should do or add to the run so they can be comfortable? Thanks!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Have you got an outdoor thermometer you can place in the coop about midway up?

I’m thinking that despite the existing windows, you need more, and much bigger, openings. In your climate, you could have an open air coop, perhaps one solid wall, maybe 1-2 partial walls.

Which compass direction does the side with the nest boxes face? That black lid is scary to me.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Your coop is aesthetically adorable- you can tell you put time into it. But like my first two coop-fumbles, I realized more ventilation was the only answer to my heat concerns. I too have solar fans- but it is more to move air stagnant, not 'cool' air.

I was about to say exactly what Mother of Chaos pointed out — more ventilation is always better. I think where many people slip up is by only putting vents at the top of the enclosure. When the ambient temperature is already high, that air doesn’t really circulate or escape properly. What you really need is more ventilation at chicken level.

Black attracts (and absorbs) more heat.
Black surfaces absorb all wavelengths of light and convert them into heat, making them warmer in the sun.

White reflects most wavelengths, so it stays cooler.
White (or light-colored) surfaces bounce sunlight away, absorbing much less heat.

Some places sell reflective surfaces- even reflective paints. That may help the nest box situation.

And furthermore: plant a fast growing tree.. or a few of them. You wont regret it.