Topic of the Week - Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer

[khind]

I know that a sudden heat wave is much harder on people and animals that aren't accustomed to it and didn't have a chance to get adjusted than it is on people and animals that acclimate to gradually-climbing temperatures.



The good news is that the heat index isn't as relevant to chickens as it is to people. The actual temperature is the thing.

Was that 104 up at your height or down on the ground where the chickens are?

How about running to your nearest Walmart to grab one of these to set up over your coop for that double-roof effect? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Party-Te...g-Garden-Beach-Camping-Patio-S10152/666869091

Thank you for this information and reasoning.

Well, that reading is about halfway between the floor and metal roof. Some good news is that the adjoining shingled coop, the run of which is a lot shorter in height, has never gone over 89. And again, it's less hot than that in the dirty or mud-piled shade under the large trees where they sit all day.

 

[khind]

How about running to your nearest Walmart to grab one of these to set up over your coop for that double-roof effect? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Party-Te...g-Garden-Beach-Camping-Patio-S10152/666869091

It crossed my mind to look for one of these, but the measurements aren't the same. But, heck, let me think for a minute on how I could maybe fanagle that! Thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

Another thought, which I'd like to get for my brooder, is to put a wind turbine vent or two up there.

 

[Suzz]

I would think pie pans, the old style roasting pans (I find them at second hand stores) or anything 2" deep or so will work well. In training them to use them you may need to set the bird in and gently control the chicken. It takes a very short time before they realize it feels kinda nice.

My chickens taught me about soaking their feet there was always poop in their water bowl and I couldnt figure out why until I saw one girl in the bowl so I bought a large shallow metal dog food dish at walmart no more poop in the water dish!

 

[khind]

My chickens taught me about soaking their feet there was always poop in their water bowl and I couldnt figure out why until I saw one girl in the bowl so I bought a large shallow metal dog food dish at walmart no more poop in the water dish!

I've always been reluctant to give them a dish/ container with water just to stand in: I figured chances are great they'd decide to drink out of it as well. I finally caved during this heat wave.

 

[jBabychickn]

I'm concerned about my roost temperatures too. 90 last night, but the temp just keeps climbing every day.
Last night I took 2 Easter Eggers, with their tiny combs & wattles, off the roost & stood each up in 1.5-2" cool water, and gently cupped and poured it upwards to the undercarriage, for a few minutes. Then gently put them back on the roost. They *seemed* calmer when i put them back (definitely far less panting). I *might* step all the chickens in just below the neck before bed tonight.

I’ve done that as well, not at night before bed tho but during the day throughout to get them cooled off. I like you’re idea tho, I’m gonna try that on a extra hot evening

 

[jBabychickn]

That sounds great! Just remember that a fan itself doesn’t cool chickens down, because they don’t sweat. Fan over ice or wet sheets will cool the air. But if you put a fan to blow under your coop, where it’s probably cooler than the surrounding air, you might actually be heating that space up to ambient temperature.
I have found it works well to water the ground under the coop and leave it alone. The deep shade there keeps the ground nice and cool…

Definitely depends on where you live; the humidity here is so dang high that watering things down just “weighs down” the air, making it heavier and even hotter, if that makes any sense. It’s all new to me! — Living in Kentucky now, (with 85% humidity tonight for example), being a Californian used to humidity levels around 20%, perhaps …. Shade would made a huge difference in CA, or a good Misting system, but those things here are NO relief whatsoever….

 

[Stephine]

Definitely depends on where you live; the humidity here is so dang high that watering things down just “weighs down” the air, making it heavier and even hotter, if that makes any sense. It’s all new to me! — Living in Kentucky now, (with 85% humidity tonight for example), being a Californian used to humidity levels around 20%, perhaps …. Shade would made a huge difference in CA, or a good Misting system, but those things here are NO relief whatsoever….

True! No point in adding water if the air can’t absorb it, since it is the evaporation that has the cooling effect. We’re in CA and it’s usually super dry. Good for mist cooling, bad for wildfires…

 

[khind]

I’ve done that as well, not at night before bed tho but during the day throughout to get them cooled off. I like you’re idea tho, I’m gonna try that on a extra hot evening

3KillerBs expressed a concern about dunking them to below the neck just before bedtime. She may be right - I'm not sure. But i found her argument compelling enough to again just dunk the feet & cup to the undercarriage and no further. Three birds I've done this with seemed to like it and they remained calm after getting put back on the roost.
I'll also clarify that I did this right as they were putting themselves to bed, and not once they'd gone into a deep sleep (just in case...).
From now on, I think I'll also bring a light towel to quickly and very lightly soak up excess from their feathers if they seem to need it.
I know some people have given booty baths for very vent feathers, and have deliberately waited to give them soon before roosting time on very hot days, to no I'll effect that they ever saw.

 

[khind]

Does anyone know how many inches or feet from the roof the "canopy" cloth should sit to give it an adequate air pocket to work?

Ok. I've got some possible ideas for creating a fast, temporary canopy on my flat-metal-roofed run Today, from materials that I already have here. I'm trying to think through them carefully to see if any of them seems ineffective or even dangerous! If so, plan B is to run out and get a ready-made one and try to rig it to fit the size of the run asap.

First, the sturdy garden shade cloth I ordered finally came in! It's dark green. I also have some large outdoor curtains that used to go around the pergola - 2 light brown, 2 cream.

I have an old leftover partial roll of chicken wire, & the same of cattle fencing (the cattle fencing was light enough for me to shape a couple mama heating pad caves for chicks).
I'm thinking, if I can make a few large semi-circular wire shapes (short arches), set them spread out on the roof, with a bit of Gorilla tape on the tips to secure them just a little, then I could arrange the cloth on top and secure the cloth, using clothes line, to the corner roof posts and even to the hardware cloth wall right under the roof. To make it happen fast, I would just use those metal office clips to join cloths together (leaving a few gaps where light would hit, I'm sure, but hopefully very few).
That way - if I can get it to work - I'd have cloth up several inches from the roof, with an air pocket between the roof and the cloth.
PICS are of the building as it currently looks, & of rough sketches of this possible design. *But I just noticed I Barely drew the cloth stretching across the top!*

An alternative could be quicker & maybe a little easier to arrange: use maybe 5 large but lightweight tree limbs (limbs with some multi-directional branches & maybe leaves projecting outward) that have already fallen or that I could cut from my surrounding woods. Set them down, and secure the cloths on top the same way. My question about danger comes from this idea of adding dead branches to the metal roof in our hot drought. My concern might make no sense, I don't know!
NO PIcs of this idea.

Hopefully you can follow this. Thanks for any constructive criticism & suggestions.