What's Everyone doing to keep chicks cool in this heat???

[Lorije1]

Quote:
I probably wouldn't put tarp on the 3 sides as this blocks any and all air movement (however slight it may be). Maybe you could make a "tent" that would still allow some air to move but would provide shade and protection from the rain?

Here in Florida I spray the chicken yard down so it is wet, but not muddy. They get fresh cool water a couple of times a day. I also took the bottom tray out of my wire dog kennel and filled it with water - so they have a 48" long, 1" deep wading pool. They love it!

Of course, mine are older so there is no danger of them dozing off and drowning....

 

[Cat Water]

Quote:
I probably wouldn't put tarp on the 3 sides as this blocks any and all air movement (however slight it may be). Maybe you could make a "tent" that would still allow some air to move but would provide shade and protection from the rain?

Here in Florida I spray the chicken yard down so it is wet, but not muddy. They get fresh cool water a couple of times a day. I also took the bottom tray out of my wire dog kennel and filled it with water - so they have a 48" long, 1" deep wading pool. They love it!

Of course, mine are older so there is no danger of them dozing off and drowning....

I took the tarp off one of the sides to let the very little breeze in. I just didn't want my little babies to get chilled. They aren't completely feathered out yet.

 

[sandiatonimarie]

Just a thought for those who don't want to tarp up their runs - how about shade cloth, canvas or burlap - that would let the air through but still give the shade. Shade cloth is expensive, though, but canvas and burlap you can get at most fabric stores pretty cheap and Home Depot and Lowes often have the burlap in the landscaping and gardening areas. I think you can buy canvas tarps, but I don't know where and that might be expensive, too.

I've been watering down my run's floor which is just dirt. The chickens scratch and dust bathe in it and it seems to cool them a lot. I'm going to put some burlap on the lower half of their run to make more shade for them, I figure air will still flow through above. I might try spraying the burlap down too, that ought to work a little like an evaporative cooler.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I'd say to keep taking tarps off the sides until the chicks stop panting. Keep the one on top for shade. I hatched a batch in mid-June and used the heat lamp for all of 3 days. Other than that, they didn't huddle and when I did have it on, they weren't near it. They were on an enclosed porch and the thermometer was reading 85 and 80 and they were happy as clams.
Go by how they act, not what the temperature says.

 

[prncs13]

Hi,

I live in VT and going through the heat. Most of my group is okay but Butterfly is really suffering. Upon the advice of other chicken lovers we took a few steps.

For Butterfly we brought her to the porch in the shade, into a large dog carrier. My husband soaked a bath towel in water and put it in one half on the bottom and the other half had hay. Gave her food and water, treated her to some tomatoes and a mix of porridge, yogurt, water with electrolytes, aloe vera juice, molasses and apple cider vinegar (the magic cure all). Outside the cage we had a big bowl of ice and a fan blowing the ice air towards her. She cooled down nicely and is out with the other kids.

For the coop, we are putting frozen 2 liter bottles in the coop for an overall cooling affect, hope to get some fans too. Plenty of water in the shade. Also sent hubby to the Home Depot for a Orbit Cobra Mistand. This will cool the coop run by 20 degrees and when the chicks don't use it, I will sit under it.

We lived in Texas so a few of the birds are used to the heat. I used to soak a cool spot under the porch and my roo loved it. As soon as he saw me soaking my first VT cool spot he ran right over and laid in it. He was having flashbacks of Texas.

They are also laying under the coop. It is a camper trailer so there is plenty of space for everyone to chill out. Hope the heat breaks, I can't take it.

Don't cover multiple sides of the coop, they need air movement.

Michelle

 

[Tala]

I freeze 2L coke bottles - my freezer is full of them they have many many uses. I put one in each water bucket and the chickens love the cool drink, by the time the ice melts the worst of the afternoon heat is over.

This year I also got smart and put a small bucket under my a/c drip - constant supply of COOL water! They love it!

Being free range on the back yard, they can move to the best shady places as the sun moves across the sky, and they seem to do OK that way.

 

[bathsheba8542]

I have part of the coop shaded with a tarp, have 2 fans running full blast, change the water a few times per day, give them tons of melon, tomatoes and peaches, and put icepacks (the plastic frozen things) in their waterers. Yesterday I almost lost a hen...I think caught her in time ... first soaked her with the hose and then 'encouraged' her to drink water with electrolytes. Then, i put an icepack under each wing until she was better. After 30 minutes, she was up and able to walk...she had been down and unable to stand when I found her. Really surprised it worked so well and today she's doing great.

 

[Cat Water]

I took the tarp off. They have stopped panting and now they are ok in the heat because it is about ten to fifteen degrees cooler. They all seem much happier.

 

[DeAnna314]

I live in North Carolina. I haven't kept chickens long but here is what I have been doing. First, they like to go under the deck but I noticed something else! If I water in the early morning in an area that is shaded later in the day they gravitate right to it probably because the soil in moist! I am sure to water every morning for them now and run some water under the deck too. Here is perhaps their favorite though. MELON! I cut half a cantaloupe and put the other half in the fridge. I only have 6 girls out there but they finish off half a cantaloupe or a generous slice of watermelon each day. I think they are particularly enjoying the half from the fridge so that is where I keep whole ones for now too.

 

[azmotogirl]

Not sure what your humidity is like but we use a personal mister that we purchased at Ace Hardware. When it gets 110 or more like it was today the chickens just stand under the mist to cool off. Here is a picture.