We've got temps of about 92 F at the moment and the 11 week old chickens are pretty hot and panting. I gave them fresh cold water and they are sitting in the shade. Is there anything else that can be done? Will too hot temps hurt them? Do they like a sprinkler to cool them off?
Thanks!
Hot chickens
Personally I like rocks. Shade is always good, dust baths help. But how about putting a bunch of rocks in your freezer for 3 hours and setting them in the coop in a bucket?
will the chickens sit on the rocks? Won't their feet freeze to them?
If you have access to a hose, those $10 misters (like a cobra rearing up) at Lowe's etc help a lot.
Hi Grow!
Thanks to both of you. Fortunatley, this hot spell will not last long. I did hose the little twits down a little and it seems to have helped. I'll look for a mister on my next trip.
;)
-I mentioned the rocks because 1) I am known for liking rocks and 2) mine love dust baths during hot weather which a mister might prevent and 3) I wasn't entirely sure what all would get dampened with a mister...but Catsy is surely Queen of these things.
As to cold feets...I'd put a piece of wood or something over it so they couldn't get them dirty. But my gals get out in the snow enough that I can't imagine freezing being an issue...
Hi there Catsy-love!!
you can also hose down the outside of your coop, it helps a lot
I put a big oscellating fan with a mister out in mine today but didn't hook up the mister. It with take care of both ajoining pens as long as I don't hook up the mister or the smaller pen food will get wet. now to find another one for the other 2 ajoining pens
I hook up misters in the summer here.. it's so dry and miserable hot.. I put a shade cloth up and run misters almost continuous during the day. Looks like we will have a short summer this year! Hasn't even gotten to 90s yet!
Hummm misters intresting Idea. I dont have electric out at the coops..
They love the cool damp dirt to lay in when it's hot.. that is when they are not standing with their wings out panting to death!
Freezing gallons of water and putting in their coop works too. I tried it last year when it was up over 100 for days. It seemed to help and the cool lasts awhile.
MissJ I have 4 extention cords all across the backyard. 2 to 1 coop, 2 for the next coop and 1 to the duck cage for the pool pump. Hopefully sometime before winter I can have electric outdoor sockets put in. I have shade cloth over half of the runs and sun in other half. Their choice where they want to be
Great idea LFJ
My girls did good least year, there is shade over the coop and plenty of dirt for them to dust off. I need to cover the turkey pen but dont want to upset her as she is sitting on eggs so I can wait, they are under shade in the nest and there is a big tree next to them for afternoon shade.
I noticed my birds panting today. My coop is inside of a barn, and I've noticed that they only really come out early in the morning and late in the afternoon but they stay inside the coop when the heat gets brutal. I put up a temporary shade across one corner, but no one seems interested. I would consider a mister, but the ducks already turn my hay into a messy pile of green slush - more water seems like a bad idea. I do have a small oscillating fan blowing into the coop and a barn fan that forces cross vent, but it's still quite balmy in the coop. I'll have to try the milk jug thing for sure!
My girls were HOT today. The blind over the windows has worked well in the past but not today. I put cardboard over the tops of the windows and put a fan by the roof vent. Tomorrow I'm getting a tarp to put over the run and am having another window in the side put in - probably not a window but an opening with a door and cover it with rat wire. I'm going to put ice jugs out tomorrow too, great idea! I misted each one with water, they were not happy. They also got some watermelon.
Hope it cools off soon.
Annie
i use misters and spray the roof of the coops
I did the freezing milk jug or soda bottles full of H2O last year. Worked well for me.
So do the ice jugs just cool down the overall temp or do they snuggle up against them? :)
I put the frozen jugs under the coop and I also have shade cloth over a portion of the run so I put some around there. My Brahmas don't mind sprawling out next to the jugs. They are kind of a laid back bunch, though. They lay on their sides in the sun and I glance over while working out in the yard and almost have a heart attack! They look like they are dead when they do that. But no! When they see me running over (not a pretty sight in this heat) to check on them they jump up and want treats! Can't imagine what I was so upset about.....
I also put a metal wash bin full of water in the dog's kennel. I throw a couple of jugs of ice in there before I go to work in the morning. The dog who stays in the kennel during the day has shade cloth and an ice bath! She thinks she's got it made!