tractor coop in the winter

[lizo97]

Hah, Shade helps with 110 heat, but it is still almost 100 degrees in shade! I was thinking of wrapping the hoop coop with rigid foam boards and a tarp. then cut a hole and put AC?

 

[Alaskan]

Hah, Shade helps with 110 heat, but it is still almost 100 degrees in shade! I was thinking of wrapping the hoop coop with rigid foam boards and a tarp. then cut a hole and put AC?

My baby sister lives in Texas, hill country area, so over 100F is common for months on end.

She has never lost a chicken due to heat stress and she doesn't do misters etc.

But:
1. She has lots of shade
2. The perches have a roof with huge overhangs, and then wire walls at perch level. So full breeze at and on perches.

 

[3KillerBs]

I cannot imagine any small/home AC unit either providing for sufficient airflow to keep the birds healthy -- removing ammonia and bringing in fresh air -- OR being robust enough to cope with the level of dust that birds and their bedding create without either destroying the unit or starting a fire, possibly both.

 

[NatJ]

Hah, Shade helps with 110 heat, but it is still almost 100 degrees in shade!

Have you taken a thermometer to check different places in the shade? Behind the house vs. under a tree vs. under a car vs. under a different tree can make a difference. (No, you would not put the chickens under a car: but if under the car is cooler, maybe you can figure out how to copy whatever makes it cooler.)

I think larger patches of shade end up cooler too, because they aren't right next to hot air and hot ground.

So just making a bigger, shadier patch or moving the coop to a different part of the yard might make a noticeable difference.

 

[Alaskan]

(No, you would not put the chickens under a car:

 

[lizo97]

When I measure, the dry soil in shade is 97 and the wet soil in the shade is 87. There is no escaping the heat except to dig a deep hole or go inside the house!

 

[Alaskan]

But 87, even 97 isn't that bad.

Are they super fluffy chickens with tiny combs?

Or very old?

 

[aart]

Deep all day shade is best but....I don't have much of that.
This has worked very well to keep heat stress/stroke at bay:

I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves.
It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place.
Always have plain water available too.

BIG(9x14x2") chunks of ice last all day for wading, sitting, and sipping.
Much more useful to the chickens than frozen foods and treats.

Make space in your freezer!

 

[NatJ]

When I measure, the dry soil in shade is 97 and the wet soil in the shade is 87. There is no escaping the heat except to dig a deep hole or go inside the house!

So wetting the soil in a shady chicken pen might help--that 10 degrees looks like an improvement to me!

 

[lizo97]

Nighttime is a big problem though because they can't bury themselves! I see them panting throughout the night despite misters and fans. The temps are still over 90 at night.