How hot is too hot to lock chicks in coop for coop training?

[JD7764]

I locked my chickens in their coop today for the first day of coop training. It was hot and did get up to 90 degrees in the coop. (I have a temp sensor) I kept a close watch and did see about half of them panting so I got some fresh ice water and changed a few things around and that seemed to relieve them enough. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer so I’m wondering if I should abandon the coop training for a couple days until it gets slightly cooler?

 

[Iluveggers]

Can you keep their door open but covered w temporary hardware cloth for more ventilation? How much ventilation is in the coop?

 

[JD7764]

Can you keep their door open but covered w temporary hardware cloth for more ventilation? How much ventilation is in the coop?

That’s a good idea. Here is a pic of the ventilation. It’s just large openings at the top, no side windows

My main issue is it gets beat by the sun in the hottest part of the afternoon. Today I actually put tin foil on the one side to help reflect it instead of absorb the heat. The sun hits on the opposite side of the nesting boxes so it never hits the metal, that part is not an issue.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have a run, attached to the coop, I don't lock them in the coop but rather the coop/run. I would worry about over heating.

 

[Iluveggers]

That’s a good amount of ventilation. Hopefully putting hardware over the door will help a bit today!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Heat is VERY hard on a bird, much worse than (what we consider to be) Cold is. They have down jackets they simply can't take off.

There are only two reasons for a bird to be in the coop - protection and protection. The first is sleeping overnight for predator protection and the second is protection from severe weather events. The third reason is because that's where the nesting boxes are often located, but its not a necessity, and its usually only a brief visit.

During the day, assuming adequate levels of predator protection, your birds should be out in the run - and yes, at 90s+ expect a lot of panting, wings outstretched, laying in the dirt (world's largest heat sink!) Coop training is for the evenings.

Reflective metal roofing and large open ventilation is good for heat. If you have additional heat concerns in the coop, may Iinquire why you painted it so dark? White or other, similar colors are better for avoiding passive solar gain than charcoal and darker colors...

 

[McChooky]

You could attach pallets to your coop and cover it with hardware cloth to make any airy brooder . Heat is much more difficult for chickens than cold.

 

[JD7764]

Heat is VERY hard on a bird, much worse than (what we consider to be) Cold is. They have down jackets they simply can't take off.

There are only two reasons for a bird to be in the coop - protection and protection. The first is sleeping overnight for predator protection and the second is protection from severe weather events. The third reason is because that's where the nesting boxes are often located, but its not a necessity, and its usually only a brief visit.

During the day, assuming adequate levels of predator protection, your birds should be out in the run - and yes, at 90s+ expect a lot of panting, wings outstretched, laying in the dirt (world's largest heat sink!) Coop training is for the evenings.

Reflective metal roofing and large open ventilation is good for heat. If you have additional heat concerns in the coop, may Iinquire why you painted it so dark? White or other, similar colors are better for avoiding passive solar gain than charcoal and darker colors...

Well my main concern is for these couple days I was going to lock them in 24/7 for coop training. On a regular summer day I assume they’ll be out in the run if it’s too hot in there. I had left over of that color from another project is why I painted it like that. I decided to air on the safe side and just let them out in the run today. I’ll wrangle them tonight and if it’s a problem I’ll lock them in 24/7 in a couple days when it cools down a bit.

 

[McChooky]

Personally I would cut a hole in the side of it and put hinges and a latch on the piece you cut out .Then attach 1/2" hardware cloth over the hole so you have a big vent for circulation . Open or close it as needed.

 

[McChooky]

I'm adding vents on the side of my brooder so my chicks won't smother in this heat. It was almost 90 degrees in the brooder today. My chicks won't arrive for another month so I have plenty of time to finish it.