Will my chickens be ok with 33 degree weather. Their coop is HOT too.

[nikchic]

I was worried about the cold winter and now I am worried about the HOT summer already. It's been 30-33 degrees here in BC and I just would like to know what measures I can do to keep my chickens cooler. Also, any tips for the coop would be greatly appreciated. Much thanks to all of you that are so helpful!!!!

 

[aldarita]

I am constantly reading everywhere in BYC and other sources about keeping the chickens cool and comfortable during the summer heat. I live in South Central Texas and last year we averaged 106F, it was awful for everybody, including me.
This is what I have learned so far and have been implementing a lot of these ideas already from the past summer.
Place several waterers in the run or coop (wherever you feed them) so they can have access to fresh cool water at all times. Add electrolytes to the water.
Place some trays around with some iced water (I use frozen plastic bottles so the water will stay cold longer) chickens like to step on the water to cool their feet. The trays don't have to be deep just enough for them to cool their feet.
Give them fresh cold fruits and veggies like watermelon (they love it)
If possible you can place a fan in the run or coop for when there is no breeze.
Provide them with deep dirt boxes to bathe (the deeper the better) they cool off this way, the dirt in the bottom is cooler than the top.
Make sure they have lots of shade and places to hide from the sun
Some people add misters to their run and they say it helps lower the temps very well.
Provide lots of ventilation in the coop at night and in the run during the day
These are the things I can remember right now, it will give you a lot for a start. Good luck with your chickens and the heat.

 

[dirtsaver]

All good advice aldarita! Another thing we do is to freeze water in small plastic bottles and put them in the waterers to help keep them cool. An old box fan in the run helps on extremely hot days as well as stretching a cheap blue tarp over the run for shade.

 

[aldarita]

In all the reading I have been doing about this issue, I came up with a post of a member that was actually writing about keeping chickens warm in the winter and he wrote that he put some clay bricks in the oven then wrapped them in towels and place them in the coop. He mentioned he also froze them and place them in the coop for the summer. I wonder how long the clay bricks will stay cold. I am willing to give it a try since I have a small freezer I can use and some bricks left over from a construction project. I have no idea how this will work compared to my one gallon water bottles I plan to place in the run.
Boy we were already 92F in the run, some of my girls were panting but they didn't seem to be that uncomfortable. My run is completely shaded and has sand on the floor (hopefully it will stay cooler than any other bedding) and we always have nice SW breeze. I guess this is already a taste of what it is to come

 

[centrarchid]

Additionally make certain they have enough room while on roost so they can extend wings and neck to dump heat while sleeping. Airflow is also critical then so I like to make it so birds are not directly below roof and hot air can escape by going up past birds. If they get to too hot on roost, they will move out to cooler and more exposed locations if they have option to do so.