poor panting little critters! what else can I do?

[Missouri chick]

I saw someone on here last year (wish I could remember who) took large trash cans and laid them on their side. Used large ice packs inside. Kinda made a cool cell for them to go inside of or lean against. I'm also thinking of using kiddie pools filled with sand to dust bath in. Place the pool in the shade. Add a little water to the sand to cool it.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
They're in the coop full time, but the door is wide open, the window is partly open, and the soffit is open--they can't escape, so it's just like a shaded 3-sided coop. It's open all day and all night, too--they've been perfectly fine once the sun goes down (no more panting by then, at least). They'll be able to go out once the fence comes in (shipped by Premier1 on the 15th, still no sign of it...will call tomorrow), but there's no shade in their fenced grazing area other than the 66 sf under their coop, which I will dampen for them. After going through this horrendous heat wave, I'm going to pick up some plastic play houses or something like it on Craigslist for shading them!!!

Have to comment on the soffit being open. That's how the coon got into my coop. I covered it with hardware cloth. And screened and hardware clothed the windows. It's not real hot here in NY but the birds seem warm in this 70 degree weather.

 

[lovelychicken]

what is a soffit?

 

[emvickrey]

I read a thread where somebody puts jugs of frozen water in their water dishes. I tried it and it works. You don't want it to get too cold but my St Bernard was grateful for it. After I refreshed his water I dropped a 20 oz. frozen bottle of water in his dish I did the same with the chickens in the coop and one in the 1 gallon waterer in the Phoenix cage. All had cool water by the end of the day still. I put the bottles in just before the heat peaked for the day and it got 103 today. You don't want to give them ice water because it may make them bloat.

I'm no pro on the subject but we put many more bottles in the deep freeze. WE also put a fan in the St's Lean-to. He doesn't have a dog house it's a lmetal door attatched to the side of the garage in his pen. That way he can get under the lean-to and have a breeze way and he also has the fan on him. He loves it. He is in the shady part of the yard between 2 garages where a breeze flows through.

My chickens are also in the shadiest part of the yard. You can feel the temp drop when you go back there and there is almost always a breeze. They still pant form the heat but they are fine.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Put kiddie pools in the runs and fill with about 2 inches of water.
If you get lucky, they will stand in it. It comes down to monkey (chicken) see Monkey (chicken) do.

Get a 12 oz or 16 oz empty water bottle and fill it with water.
Freeze it over night. You need not use the lid.

Place the frozen water bottle UPSIDE down in your water container.

Fill your water container with the coolest water you can find.

I use well water, so it is pretty cool.

Close up your waterer and place this in your coop or run.

The frozen water will melt into the surrounding water and it will stay pretty cool most of the day.

At night take the bottle out and put a small amount of electrolytes in the remaining water.

Rinse and then repeat the above for that next hot day.

KEEP A FAN ON YOUR BABIES even at night. They actually cool down at night and it can take quite a while.

These poor animals.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Hi,

It was 95 today and very humid - I think the heat idex was like 114. I was so stressed out about my animals I came home during my lunch hour to check on everyone.

I have a few teenage chickens in my barn and it seemed too hot for them so I shooed them out of the stall hoping they would find a place in the shade. By the time I finished checking on everything and was getting ready to go back to work...three of the teenagers were laying in the sun - sunning themselves! I have to tell you...I immediately stopped being such a worry wart. I do know they can be overcome by heat stress - but, tonight they all seem to be no worse for wear. There are more hot and humid days ahead this week - I'll still worry about them but, maybe not as much.

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
It may turn into a septic pool if your not careful. Sand with water left in it and chickens standing there. We all know what chickens do about every 30 minutes. Add heat and there you go, instant sess pool.

I made mine a sand box, I put garden rocks in the bottom then a whole bag of playground sand on top. It is just in a frame no bottom. I thought I could use it also to let them dust themselves with sevin dust added. That didn't work. After the sevin dust got washed through they eat the sand and poop in it. They made themselves a corner of the run where they wollered a spot do dust themselves in dirt.

In the other thread somebody said to either let water run barely so they can walk through it to cool their feet or use a kiddie pool. I prefer the water trickle. What I do is when I replace their water in the midday I run water in aspot in the run that holds water. It runs off but stays long enough for them to cool off. That and the cool water and they're fine. Last year they didn't have it that good.
Thanks to this site and all the great advice and suggestions my birds are more privlaged than before.

 

[noitulover]

you might consider getting a coop with a secure run! even on the hottest days, mine prefer being outside (at least underneath the coop) rather than being inside it...

also try a pan of water (about 2" deep or less and at least 12" wide)... pick up a chicken and place their feet in the water. this dramatically cools them off. i have 8 hens and 1 roo outside right now. we tried teaching the buff orpingtons to do this and they would have none of it. they thought we were trying to kill them haha. our easter egger, however, ONLY stands in the water when she's drinking now!! and when it's really hot outside, she'll dust bathe underneath the coop, then go inside to stand in the water pan!

 

[krazycow6]

Heat index was 112 here. Mine are fine, without any frozen jugs or anything, just H2O. Give them shade and they will be fine.

 

[noitulover]

it also depends what breed you have...

giant cochins, and big heavy layers will have a harder time in the heat than a thinner chicken with a big comb (like a leghorn)...

bantams will also have an easier time in the heat because of their size...