Summer heat is already affecting my birds

[humblehillsfarm]

Two weeks ago we got an inch of snow. This week every day has been in the 90s. I provide shade over the chicken run, water in all of the good shady spots of the lawn, lots of treats in the form of produce (lettuce, etc) but this heat is just brutal on my birds. Egg production is already plummeting, which is frustrating because most of my hens just started laying 6-8 weeks ago. What happened to a spring with periodic rain and mild weather??? Sorry, just ranting here!

BUT we are wanting to build a brand new coop. Does anyone have any ideas for a coop that stays cooler?

 

[Mrs. K]

good ventialation is huge. It depends on your budget, there is one that is entirely screened in the front, then the back roof is 2 feet higher, and those windows open... I think it would be a wonderful coop, but beyond my budget.

Really, heat depends on the humidity. We are so dry, while mine will pant, and hold out their wings, and that at only over 100, water and shade is enough. Often times I wet the sand in their coop.

 

[Pghelp]

Two weeks ago we got an inch of snow. This week every day has been in the 90s. I provide shade over the chicken run, water in all of the good shady spots of the lawn, lots of treats in the form of produce (lettuce, etc) but this heat is just brutal on my birds. Egg production is already plummeting, which is frustrating because most of my hens just started laying 6-8 weeks ago. What happened to a spring with periodic rain and mild weather??? Sorry, just ranting here!

BUT we are wanting to build a brand new coop. Does anyone have any ideas for a coop that stays cooler?

No black roof if it gets really hot where you are. Frankly I think it's the crazy fluctuation in temperature that is affecting my hens. We have temps dropping into the 50s at night and then soaring to the mid-90s in the day. Yesterday we set up a mister with the hose to give them some relief. I also keep their greens in the fridge so they're a cool treat I give several times a day. We also periodically hose down their yard and the coop to take advantage of evaporative cooling. I change their water several times because the water can get hot even in the shade. Good luck. We lost one of our best layers, a Barred Rock, last summer to the heat and I don't intend for that to happen this year!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

good ventialation is huge. It depends on your budget, there is one that is entirely screened in the front, then the back roof is 2 feet higher, and those windows open... I think it would be a wonderful coop, but beyond my budget.

Really, heat depends on the humidity. We are so dry, while mine will pant, and hold out their wings, and that at only over 100, water and shade is enough. Often times I wet the sand in their coop.

I couldn't do a screened wall unless I got fancy because it gets below zero in the winter! The temp extremes are unreal.

No black roof if it gets really hot where you are. Frankly I think it's the crazy fluctuation in temperature that is affecting my hens. We have temps dropping into the 50s at night and then soaring to the mid-90s in the day. Yesterday we set up a mister with the hose to give them some relief. I also keep their greens in the fridge so they're a cool treat I give several times a day. We also periodically hose down their yard and the coop to take advantage of evaporative cooling. I change their water several times because the water can get hot even in the shade. Good luck. We lost one of our best layers, a Barred Rock, last summer to the heat and I don't intend for that to happen this year!

That's been the same here. 50s at night, and extremely hot and humid in the day. There have been days I feel like I am swimming through the air. I've heard water misting makes it feel hotter if it's already humid, BUT you did remind me of filling a small pool with water for them to stand in. Yeah, I feel very scared I'll lose my old cochin to the heat. I am so sorry for your barred rock. I have one too and she's my sweetest bird in the flock and a great layer. I can't change their water more than once a day and in the evening because of my awful work schedule, but I hope that will change some day. I was going to put out more water containers in shady spots to see if they'll like that.

 

[Pghelp]

I couldn't do a screened wall unless I got fancy because it gets below zero in the winter! The temp extremes are unreal.


That's been the same here. 50s at night, and extremely hot and humid in the day. There have been days I feel like I am swimming through the air. I've heard water misting makes it feel hotter if it's already humid, BUT you did remind me of filling a small pool with water for them to stand in. Yeah, I feel very scared I'll lose my old cochin to the heat. I am so sorry for your barred rock. I have one too and she's my sweetest bird in the flock and a great layer. I can't change their water more than once a day and in the evening because of my awful work schedule, but I hope that will change some day. I was going to put out more water containers in shady spots to see if they'll like that.

On days you expect it to get horribly hot, try freezing a plastic container of water and placing that in their dish. That can keep it from heating up too fast. I always leave multiple waterers for them too because I swear they forget where it is when they're overheated. Yesterday I led them to their water dish I had just filled and they were like, oh yeah, this is great.

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot of people on here recommend electric fans for high humidity days. And make sure you have good shade at 4:00. That tends to be the hottest part of the day, and when the sun moves through out the day, what was good shade, may not be at 4:00.

Mrs K

 

[humblehillsfarm]

A lot of people on here recommend electric fans for high humidity days. And make sure you have good shade at 4:00. That tends to be the hottest part of the day, and when the sun moves through out the day, what was good shade, may not be at 4:00.

Mrs K

The current coop is shaded almost up until 4, and then it's not. I've been tossing around ideas for where to put a new coop, but nothing so far is ideal. In the past I have used a fan, which helps. I need a window fan to make it easier.

On days you expect it to get horribly hot, try freezing a plastic container of water and placing that in their dish. That can keep it from heating up too fast. I always leave multiple waterers for them too because I swear they forget where it is when they're overheated. Yesterday I led them to their water dish I had just filled and they were like, oh yeah, this is great.

Ice is a great idea! I didn't think of that as an option, thank you.

 

[Pghelp]

The current coop is shaded almost up until 4, and then it's not. I've been tossing around ideas for where to put a new coop, but nothing so far is ideal. In the past I have used a fan, which helps. I need a window fan to make it easier.


Ice is a great idea! I didn't think of that as an option, thank you.

My last Barred Rock was in distress yesterday. She didn't want to eat or drink much. With all the precautions we've taken she died today about an hour ago. We just finished burying her. Heat is absolutely deadly for chickens. So sorry we couldn't save her.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

My last Barred Rock was in distress yesterday. She didn't want to eat or drink much. With all the precautions we've taken she died today about an hour ago. We just finished burying her. Heat is absolutely deadly for chickens. So sorry we couldn't save her.

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that. That is a nightmare

 

[Bert96746]

Are you in Michigan by chance? Because I have the same problem we had a late frost that killed a lot of apple blooms last week and now its a real feel of 94° today!