So how many of us have AC in their coops?

[phoenixmama]

Quote:
They give me the heeby jeebys. They are all over the place here. We find them in the house at least once a week. It's kind of hard to train a 2 year old to shake out his shoes before putting them on. Luckily, none of us have been stung yet. And this time of year, all the babies are out. My DH just caught and killed a big 'ol mama scorpion with a bunch of babies on her back. *shudder*

I'm getting used to them...slowly but surely. My RIR roo and my white leghorn don't seem to be bothered by them, they are right there when I turn over rocks or wood in our yard and grab 'em as fast as they see 'em. Poor Flower (the Cuckoo Maran) though, that girl just needs to fight the urge and stay away. I'm worried that she won't be as lucky next time.

Sorry, Mahonri for highjacking your thread...

 

[ArizonaNessa]

As for ac in the coop Mahonri, I think its the best choice if you are going to choose between swamp coolers and ac because a swamp cooler would probably cause unwanted mold in the bedding during monsoon season.

For those that don't know about swamp coolers, they will not work back east and this is probably why you have never heard of them. They would do nothing but mildew your home if you tried to use one on the Gulf Coast. I had never heard of a swamp cooler til I moved to California.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Interesting. You're supposed to be where they work well. Why don't you rig one up with a fan, a wood frame, two layers of wire, and some wet straw or hay, and see what happens? Who knows, your monsoon may be a fizzle....

We didn't get much rain last year, but seem to be getting it this year. Maybe we are stealing it from you....

 

[Dr.Doorlock]

I use a mister over the run and we had triple didgit temps. Even when it's not on. they seem to be alright. I also try to treat them with watermelon rind. They pluck it down to the skin!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I don't even have AC in my house now! The unit is busted & we have no $$$ to fix it. I remind my chickens that they're descended from jungle birds, so suck it up & quitcher boo-hooing, something deep in their DNA must be accustomed to the heat & humidity.

Actually, I did once offer them AC in their coops IF they would eat up all the fire ants in the yard. Plus a handsome cash bonus which they could use to buy themselves cracked corn and other treats. I'm still waiting for some birds, the chickens, guineas, ducks or geese, to take me up on this offer, but so far, no one has...

 

[phoenixmama]

Quote:

Mine won't touch the ants either. They love cockroaches though!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i wish i could do a/c. But we have seven coops and pens in our yard, then a large aviary and two hutches on the back porch with little kids and a broody with chicks. It's been blazing hot this past week so i went out and bought a couple more oscillating fans and a portable swamp cooler. Plus, i have five strings of misters around the pens, and then some neat little circular misters that fit on the front of a fan.

i've been using the evap cooler on the patio to cool down those kids, as well as a mister around the roof line. Then the rest of the yard is an obstacle course of hoses and electrical lines.

i have a dream . . . to one day have our yard not look like some hobo chicken shanty town.

Mahonri, i am so sorry for your loss. i was pretty worried about my kids, wondering what to look for in a chicken that might be getting close to heat stroke. i did end up bringing some in the house. One, a very fluffy black silkie that seemed to be miserable. Wish i could have brought them all in.

 

[rufus]

It cost $108.37? Shipping from China would be more than that. I have to wonder how and why they do it. Sounds like dumping to me.

The evaporative cooler would just give your chickens colds. We used to always get summer colds from the darn things. They were referred to as "the pneumonia machine."

They work pretty good on cattle feed lots though.

My chickens just have to tough it out, but I have a lot of shade and the sprinklers go off twice a day.

Let's see if the egg production goes up for Mahonri. I bet it does.

Rufus

 

[TennesseeTruly]

You know when my husband told me that he wanted to build the coop INSIDE the barn, (a seperate building inside the barn), I thought he was nuts. Well I don't think he's nuts any longer.

Inside our coop when its been in the 90's, its been in the 70's in the coop. During the heat of the day, the chickens hang out under the coop. So does my grandson, with the chickens! (The coop is raised 3 feet off the floor)

The side of the barn is open and their run is out the side of the barn.

So sometimes, hubby actually does have good ideas!! LOL

Laurie

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Forget cable... maybe just a laptop with BYC Forum as their homepage?

Ya, I'd think a swamp cooler would work, or even a very fine mister off a garden hose out in the run or in the shade somewhere?

Of course, none of those are nearly as cool as chicken nugget refrigeration! Sometimes we do stuff because we can... not because we need to!