Texas Heat !

[TheFreundFlock]

OK! So right now my babies are still in the eggs! BUT

fingers cross I look like I might be having a good hatch!
DUE July 7th!

So I am getting my brooder togeather, so as to not wait until last min. Now every thing I read says to drop the temp of the brooder by 5 degrees every week! Well,

that is a joke! It might be a good idea if they were living some place cool!

IT IS 101 outside I am not thinking that they need to worry about being to cold, but being to hot! So what can I do to get them ready for the great out doors! I am so not running an a/c unit in the hen house for them!

 

[TexasVet]

I put mine in a separate dog kennel (double-wired to keep them inside), butted up to the regular run. Because I have chickens of all ages, I put a couple of month-old chicks in with the newbies, to teach them how to eat and drink.

For sleeping quarters, I have an igloo dog house sitting on top of cinder blocks. During hot days, and they're all hot lately, they stay underneath the dog house, running out now and then to eat and drink.

In the corner where the two runs are joined, I set up a mister. The wind blows just enough to keep both sides dampened, which also helps keep them cooler.

You can find more chicken-cooling tips here: http://www.countrychickens.com/country_chickens_4_007.htm

Good luck!

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[TheFreundFlock]

Thanks KHayward!!

That gave me some great ideas! I think I am going to put a mister in see I am running water out anyway.

So do you even use a heat lamp for them? I am sure they are going to live in my house the first 3 weeks or so. I don't have any older chicks and I am still building the coop. These are my first!

 

[TexasVet]

Two of my hens had just hatched broods, so when the new chicks arrived, I stuck them out with the rest of 'em. At night, of course, so nobody freaked out. So now I've got two hens riding herd on 36 chicks! The chicks are funny, because they just follow whichever momma is closest.

So the big problem I have is not keeping the chicks warm enough, it's keeping them cool! I've got the mister, and shade cloth, and I'm wetting the ground in their area, but it's still too hot.

The bigger worry is the 40+ eggs that should be hatching July 7th. It'll still be hotter than blazes, and they'll be a month younger than the chicks in there now, so no way the mommas will accept them. I have a brooder in the garage, but it's hotter in there than outside! So I'm trying to figure out a way to convince hubby that we need a window AC unit in the garage.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.PivotalForce.com, www.CountryChickens.com

 

[hyperslug]

My chickes hatched June 19, and I first kept the brooder inside with a lamp. Before the first week was done I put the brooder outside but still bring them in at night. I still use the lamp outside in the morning until temperatures get above the desired temp and then unplug. I live in DFW area and temps have been over 100 but it still goes below 80 at night into the morning which is too cool for new chicks.

As for being too hot I read most chickens can take temps up to 117 degrees, so just make sure they have shade and water!

Jeff