Pant Pant... 101 DEGREES!!!! pant pant

[earnhardtlvr]

Quote:
x2!

 

[Tikkijane]

I'm in the desert, and it is hot. While all of our breeds are heat tolerant, I make sure they have plenty of shade, ice in the water (I really don't like to seem them panting from 9 am on all day) which melts really fast, but brings the water temp down for a while. I've used cooler packs. Other options are wetting down some sand (and they are in the backyard, so I hose the grass around them down) in a cat litter pan if you don't have sand in the run, using a cat litter pan with some water so they can wade.

Hands down, frozen treats seem to be a favorite. Anything that is a chicken treat goes into the freezer and is then given out in the afternoon. Our peak temp is usually around 4 pmish, so I try to keep them as cool as possible.

I love my chickies, so going out and visiting them numerous times a day is fine by me.

 

[OkChickens]

What I have figured out the way to keep chickens cool is to free range them. I have a little over 2 acres and a 20x30 coop which is apart of my 20x90 barn. This barn has to be 25-35+ years old at least. The north side is plywood and the east/west are chicken wire. I currently have a tarp up on the west side to keep the storms out. Most come from the north west. I understand that free ranging is not possible for everyone.try having a run with shade if possible.

Things to do.
Shade
Plenty of water in the shade
A breeze if possible
Dirt floor
***Plenty of ventilation*** up high to let hot air out.

Things NOT to do.
Run out of water.
Direct sunlight all day.

I do agree with BoltonChicken to Relax they are animals that can adapt. Chickens have been around well forever 100 degrees won't kill em' if they have shade and water!

If a chicken is acting over heated try giving it cool water to drink and also soak there feet/shanks in cool water. This has happened to my Welsummer Rooster this year. After a few times of soaking for 5-10 minutes he perked up a bit. He weighs every bit of 11lbs and heavy feathers.

Hope this all helps!

Nate

 

[gvilledh]

I finally got some pictures uploaded from neighbor's yesterday.

Trying a little watermelon. This is Alvin (or Alvina). Certainly not an original name. We are thinking he/she is an EE, but not sure.

Looking around for more...

Eating watermelon and dried mealworms can make you tired...

Mamma Hen (Henny) the morning the chicks were born. I think she is a Black Star. I love the blue/green sheen on her feathers when she is in the sun.

 

[Sandy16]

cute pics!

I agree with all posts....plenty of shade, lots of cool water, and I give them cool treats during the day. Cold blueberries, watermelon, yogurt...plenty of ways to be creative.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Quote:
Alvin/Alvina looks like a Speckled Sussex or a Welsummer. I'm leaning towards Sussex, as it looks like mine did at that age.

 

[gvilledh]

Quote:
Alvin/Alvina looks like a Speckled Sussex or a Welsummer. I'm leaning towards Sussex, as it looks like mine did at that age.

I'm so glad we at least have an idea of what he/she may be. The two brooder hens have had two babies hatch today! It will be interesting to see how many they end up with.

 

[Peeps38655]

It has been around 100 here every day for over a week and we have an oscillating fan blowing in their day run (they are only 4 weeks old) and we put ice chunks in their large waterer. Today around lunch I went out with cold yogurt and my babies ate it off my fingers (they love yogurt). During the hottest part of the day they just line up in front of the fan & pant.

 

[HHandbasket]

Lots of great suggestions here! Everyone at BYC helped me so much the 1st year we had our chickens. We were so afraid the girls were gonna just die in the heat, and someone suggested using empty milk jugs and soda bottles filled with water & frozen, then brought out to the coop for the girls to lay against. It helped my girls tremendously!

I also do as others here have suggested--frozen melon rinds, etc. I will take leftover melon my grandson doesn't eat, but you know how it is... after it's been sitting out on the patio table for 15 minutes, it's had 200 flies on it. Well, I'm certainly not gonna eat it... BUT MY CHICKENS WILL! So I'll freeze it up and save it for hot days when my girls need an extra cool yummy.

I do the same thing with strawberries that are starting to get mushy in the fridge. Freeze 'em up and save them for the chickens on hot days.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Be careful doing that. They will not handle being cool in the house all night and super hot all day, only to go back to the cool house again.
Better to create and area that is well shaded and as breezy as possible. Setting a fan to blow in on them can be helpful, as well as the frozen jugs.