Keeping Chickens cool

[Cheetah_Beat]

These are the things that I do:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

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View attachment 3785837

Oh thank you!
I live in Florida, so we get humid heat from March to September. October is when we start to cool down a little. May to July are usually really bad months, and sometimes we get warnings not to be outside. That is mainly my concern with my chickens since they are the fluffy type, so I can only imagine how bad it is for them.

 

[Cheetah_Beat]

Welcome to BYC!! You’ve already been given some wonderful advice, but I wanted to add one helpful thing we do in the summertime.

We spray everything down in the morning with the hose or let the sprinkler run for an hour or so. And by everything I mean the grass, the trees, the sidewalk - basically anywhere the chickens will be. It creates an evaporative cooling effect. We do this again in the afternoon and let the hose run for a while to give them a cool stream to walk in for a bit. In the evening I end up spraying the coop down really really well with the hose. I’ve found these actions help the most to keep them cool in the summer!

Thank you!
Those seem really smart! I am starting to think that I might have overthought the situation and could have just done some simple things as solutions lol. I will try to do this when it is hot days.
Thank you again.

 

[alinas2010]

Thank you!
Those seem really smart! I am starting to think that I might have overthought the situation and could have just done some simple things as solutions lol. I will try to do this when it is hot days.
Thank you again.

You’re welcome! I overthink it, too. Even though I feel like I already know what to do to help them stay cool, I still get the urge to ask what others do every summer. It can be such a challenge but there are some pretty creative people out there, it’s nice to see new ideas! You’ll find advice for everything here! Good luck with your flock!

 

[springvalley123]

Oh thank you!
I live in Florida, so we get humid heat from March to September. October is when we start to cool down a little. May to July are usually really bad months, and sometimes we get warnings not to be outside. That is mainly my concern with my chickens since they are the fluffy type, so I can only imagine how bad it is for them.

The swamp cooler and misting system would be useless during those times. What do people on the Florida thread do? Portable AC units??

 

[SandyRiverChick]

It is a basic coop that fits my two (originally 3) buff opingtonsxlight Brahams. The new coop will be bigger (cause of chicken math), but I thought insulation wouldn't be a good cause of the heat. I might see about partially insulating it then. Is there a type of insulation you recommend?

Insulation isn't just about heat, it's about cooling too. This is what I use: I also live in Florida and Hawaii where cross breeze is my best tool

 

[Loving my girls]

Hi there and Bienvenue to BYC,
When it gets over 28c here this is what we do …
1. Large low dishes (we use old seed trays) of cold water with ice and then throw in some treats. They get gobbled up along with the cold water
2. Water melon, lots of it straight from the fridge.
3. Garden misters. We often find a gaggle of hens and our cats under them when it’s hot.
4. Ice packs. I have those bell shaped ones and put an ice pack inside to keep the water cool
5. The pouallier is built on a concrete slab which we hose down with cold water every night before they go to bed. (Only around the pouallier of course) It helps keep the area cold.
6. We already have a lot of shade as we have a small wood so they go there and dig lots of holes which helps cool them I think.
7. We also have a large shallow tray (unused oil change tray) again filled with cold water and an ice pack. If someone is looking too warm I put them in it to cool their feet. None of my girls enter it voluntarily.
Forgot to say that the shallow trays are under the misters so if they want treats they have to get under them.
Together it makes life easier for them,
Hope this helps
Hugz

 

[Alexandra Runner]

Oh, that is creative! I had a carrot in my fridge that had been in really cold water for a few days, and I broke chunks off for them, and they seemed to love it. I will for sure try this when the really hot season happens.
Thank you for the idea!

No problem! I hope your girls like it as much as mine do!

 

[Midnight Maran Momma]

Insulation isn't just about heat, it's about cooling too. This is what I use: I also live in Florida and Hawaii where cross breeze is my best tool View attachment 3785958

Where do you have this insulation, on the underside of the roof, or there and on the walls? Don't they peck at it?
Here in VA, it would get up to 112°ish (previously). I need something that will help keep our coop as cool as possible in the summer. The winters rarely drop below 27° at their lowest.
I was considering the bubble foil type insulation, but wasn't sure how well that worked, comparatively.
Our coop & run will be in the sun from mid morning til sundown. Not ideal, but that's where we've got the space available.
Thank you!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Where do you have this insulation, on the underside of the roof, or there and on the walls? Don't they peck at it?
Here in VA, it would get up to 112°ish (previously). I need something that will help keep our coop as cool as possible in the summer. The winters rarely drop below 27° at their lowest.
I was considering the bubble foil type insulation, but wasn't sure how well that worked, comparatively.
Our coop & run will be in the sun from mid morning til sundown. Not ideal, but that's where we've got the space available.
Thank you!

Walls and floor are insulated but not the roof it's just plywood, tar paper, metal roofing. Walls are siding+insulation+OSB, it's more like a tiny home, approx 120sq ft. Floor is railroad ties+insulation+plywood. You're right that they would peck at it if it was exposed. The woods/tree canopy that my coop is in really helps with heat but I like having sunny area's too, for dust baths. I would plant as many trees for shade as I could if I didn't have that already. I like your bubble foil idea, the walls wouldn't be so thick....

 

[FrostRanger]

I go the other way and have an open air coop. All 4 sides are covered with hardware cloth for maximum ventilation. We have humid heat as well and while no one is happy about the weather, they all get through it without incident