Air conditioning, just enough to keep them cooler

[BonnieBlue]

I am in a hot and humid environment. I have a fan blowing into my run just to help with air circulation, and in the coop I have a small a/c. I originally got it because it was my first coop, and I raised the pullets in it, but before they were old enough to regulate their body temperatures, it was just too hot here in July. Throw in that was our record setting heat year, and it was the only way I could find to keep the coop temp healthy for them.

Now, I use it on the hottest days, and they can come into the coop out of the run for a while to just chill. Literally. It keeps the coop at 80-85 degrees and pulls a bit of humidity out of the air in the coop, instead of the upper 90's with high humidity of the run, and gives them respites.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Great Info! ( bought a few solar powered fans... building them in- they are small but will at least circulate).

Do you have a photo or brand of the AC you are using int eh coop? What size coop do you have and number of chickens?

 

[Island Coppers]

CabritaChicks,​

There is a new white paint made with barium sulfate that it seems can cool buildings.

https://www.gblsim.com/cooling-ultra-white-paint/

 

[Debbie292d]

CabritaChicks,​

There is a new white paint made with barium sulfate that it seems can cool buildings.

https://www.gblsim.com/cooling-ultra-white-paint/

It doesn't sound like it's being sold yet, but can you imagine instead of people installing central air or air conditioners in their homes they could just paint the rooms all white and be done! It sounds like it's going to be expensive, but so is running an air conditioner.

 

[FrostRanger]

It doesn't sound like it's being sold yet, but can you imagine instead of people installing central air or air conditioners in their homes they could just paint the rooms all white and be done! It sounds like it's going to be expensive, but so is running an air conditioner.

I hope they have colors other than white, I hate white walls

 

[Island Coppers]

I hope they have colors other than white, I hate white walls

It's for rooftops, to reflect heat away.

 

[FrostRanger]

I love that story! My experience is some what similar—I have an autoimmune disease, and since eggs take forever to reach the island, their histamine levels skyrocket. When I lived in other countries, I always had access to fresh farm eggs, but once we moved to the mainland U.S., I suddenly developed an "egg allergy." Turns out, it wasn’t an allergy at all—just my body reacting to the insane histamine buildup- (and the taste and color of the yolks was a massive deterrent for consumption anyways).

After we got our large property here in the Virgin Islands, my husband mentioned that he’d love to have chickens. Since I run a nonprofit avian rescue and avian veterinary service, it was a perfect fit! Sure, feral chickens are everywhere here—practically one every 20 feet—but I wanted birds I could actually bond with. Eventually, a small feed store started bringing in Rhode Island Reds, which apparently do well on this island.

After tons of research (and discovering some unexpected quirks about raising chickens here), my journey finally began! Thank you so much for all your help! the coop is my largest concern, I just want to do them justice as they have already brought my husband and I do much joy.

Interestingly, I've noticed since that I've gotten chickens my seasonal allergies are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. I am not sure if it's 'cause of them or whatever I'm allergic to not being as abundant in the last 2 years, but usually I get the absolute worst seasonal allergies this time of year and barely anything helped. Claratin and especially xysol make my symptoms worse and the only thing I tried over the counter that worked was benadryle (thankfully I am one of the fortunate ones who doesn't get drowsy from benadryl) and even that no longer works. I was then placed on a really strong prescription and even that stopped working. Last spring and this spring, I might have a bad day or 2 but otherwise I'm mostly fine. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for it 'cause I was pretty much nonfunctional before because my allergies were so bad

What makes me think it might not be the eggs though is I went to my friend's house for dnd in the next town over one afternoon and my allergies were as bad as ever. Pretty much as soon as I got home I was fine. The next town over isn't that far away so theoretically the plant life should be the same so idk why I'm fine here but not there

 

[BonnieBlue]

Great Info! ( bought a few solar powered fans... building them in- they are small but will at least circulate).

Do you have a photo or brand of the AC you are using int eh coop? What size coop do you have and number of chickens?

I got a small Frigidaire that was on sale. Because my coop is so small, that even with the pop door open, and a (very) small exhaust fan, I didn't need large. I got the smallest one, which was something like 5,000 btu. I don't need to keep the coop "me" cool, just enough to make it bearable so the girls are not panting hot. I don't even have to keep it on the coldest setting. Quite often when it is really hot, I see them laying on the sand floor just taking a nice break from the heat.

My coop is 16 sq feet, and I only have two girls now. I don't have a traditional window to put it in, so I cut a hole specifically for it, and have 1/4 inch welded wire in front of it for added safety.

 

[redinator]

I live in the Virgin Islands, where it gets hot and humid. I designed a Wichita-style chicken coop by the sea (side-on shore, about 10 knots sea breeze), with bottom airflow, side airflow, and a run. I also placed the coop in the shade, which helps a lot, but I’m planning for the future. On some days, temps can hit 95°F, and I’d like to keep it closer to 80°F with a simple solar-powered cooling system.

I’ve seen a few designs online, but most seem overkill. I’m looking for something effective but not excessive for three hens. So far, I’ve considered:

• Solar-Powered Ventilation Fans – Small exhaust fans mounted at the highest point to pull out hot air.
• Evaporative Coolers (Swamp Coolers) – A solar-powered fan blowing over a water-soaked medium to cool the air. But this is going to be a bear to carry ice down to the coop (it is a jaunt).
• Reflective Roofing & Shade Cloth – To reduce heat absorption and block direct sun.
• Thermal Mass Cooling – Frozen water jugs placed in the airflow path to provide passive cooling.

However, I’m also looking for pre-fabricated options that actively put out cool air. Some possibilities I’ve found:

• Solar-Powered Evaporative Coolers (like EcoJet) – These actively blow cooled air and work best in drier conditions (which we DO NOT have on the seaside).
• Peltier (Thermoelectric) Coolers – Small units that generate cool air but may need additional ventilation.
• Solar-Powered Portable AC Units – Expensive and require battery setups, but they do exist.

Has anyone tried a pre-built system that works well for backyard coops in extreme heat? Would love to hear recommendations!

I also posted a image of the chicks from yesterday- these hens rule the roost- They love chasing feet and getting tummy rubs. So needless to say- I want this micro-flock to be a happy as possible when they eventually make it outside. Takes an eternity for shipping here, so I want to make sure I have something set up in the case of another heatwave like last summer (it was a straight run heat index of 109F). Just like our hurricane setup, where we have a hurricane proof structure in the event of a crisis.

Those are so cute slippers, lol.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Those are so cute slippers, lol.

They are obsessed with my husbands feet- even now at 5ish weeks old. I think it is because he is fuzzy, haha.