Keeping chickens cool- is my plan good?

[tickens33]

This is a little long but I wanted to get in all the details I could think of. Thank you so much in advance for any wisdom you can offer.

So, if you've seen my post history, you'll know that I am keeping my chickens remotely, a small property on Lake Ontario, until we can move out there permanently. You'd also notice that I am super prone to anxiety and overthinking and asking many (possibly silly) questions. The members of this forum have been really kind and thoughtful helping me out so far. So I thought I'd share my most recent concern and ask for some reassurance.

It's supposed to get pretty hot this week, and I want to make sure the measures I've taken are adequate.

The coop thermometer has never recorded an indoor temp higher than outdoor temps-- so it seems like our ventilation is effective. They also have access to a small, protected outdoor area which is about 2/3rds covered in shade cloth (no full sized run yet, but working on it).

This upcoming week, the highest temperature is Tuesday, which will be 88 with a "feels like" of 94. The "feels like" are forecasted to be 83-89 in the next 7 days. These temps are predicted to last from 11am to sunset every day.

It is not practical to drive out to the chickens daily unless absolutely necessary-- if people here think it may be necessary, then I'll definitely take that into account. We just checked on them today (Saturday). The only time I was planning on going out between now and next weekend is Tuesday, the hottest day.

I was planning to put frozen water bottles in the waterer, and frozen bottles (or maybe bigger frozen jugs?) around the coop so they can cuddle up to them if they need to cool off.

I have seen a lot of suggestions regarding hosing down the coop or hooking up fans which require electricity- all a no-go because our property is undeveloped land. They do have a small solar powered exhaust fan in the coop which pulls air in from outside. We've seen on the camera that they have been sitting in front of it sometimes, I assume to cool off.

We purposely got cold-hardy breeds (Orps and Wyandottes) because our temps can get down in the teens here in the winter. But now realizing they probably don't do great in the heat. Thankfully it at least rarely gets much hotter here than this, so if they can make it through this week they'll probably be okay in the long term.

The hottest it's been since putting them in the coop is 85F, and on that day they seemed to do totally fine, with minimal panting and still energetic.

Between the ventilation, shade, fan, and bringing water bottles on the hottest day, do you think they'll be okay? Or should I plan to check on them more than just the hottest day? Thank you so much for reading

 

[FrostRanger]

Yeah, they'll be fine. It routinely gets hotter than that here and my birds aren't happy about it but I haven't had anyone seriously struggle and I do have a single buff orpington pullet. I actually think she takes the heat better than my others which are easter eggers and lakeside eggers (basically a designer easter egger from Meyer hatchery. Good birds). I think it's 'cause she's the only one without a beard but i'm a sucker for bearded chickens. What has helped my flock get through the heat is providing several pans of water throughout the run for them to use as foot baths. Since their feet are one of their few exposed areas, getting them wet is one of the more effective ways to get them cooler. I don't think the ice in their water is strictly necessary but it certainly doesn't hurt anything (I have never used ice in their water). Adding electrolytes to their water - make sure they also have another source with plain water, very important - would also be helpful. My birds seem slightly less stressed by the heat when I add it and chilled cabbage, berries or mellon might also be appreciated. As long as they have shade, water and good ventilation, they should be ok though

Edit: it's incidentally 83 outside as I type this....at 9pm....I wouldn't worry too much about those highs

 

[GodLovesU]

As long as they have water and shade they should be fine.I have kept the same breeds in almost 100 degree weather.

 

[tickens33]

@FrostRanger @GodLovesU Thank you guys both for the thoughtful responses, it helps SO much to hear from folks with experience!

 

[tickens33]

What has helped my flock get through the heat is providing several pans of water throughout the run for them to use as foot baths. Since their feet are one of their few exposed areas, getting them wet is one of the more effective ways to get them cooler.

This seems like something I can realistically do without needing to monitor it daily. Any methods you use to ensure the pans don't get tipped over?

 

[FrostRanger]

No, I just use wide shallow pans and I haven't had much issue with them getting tipped over. You certainly could put it in a shallow hole in the ground if it is a problem though

 

[Loving my girls]

Just want to add, don’t ever feel foolish about asking questions. We all have need of those with more experience however much experience we have

 

[GodLovesU]

No p

@FrostRanger @GodLovesU Thank you guys both for the thoughtful responses, it helps SO much to hear from folks with experience!

No problem!!

 

[Mrs. K]

Ice melts incredibly fast. I never use it.

We had a scorcher here yesterday - even the baby chicks came through it just fine.

I with the solar fan, I would not worry about temperatures unless they got over 105 degrees.

What I do worry about is enough water, and shade throughout the day. If you have that, and your birds are not over crowded or locked into too small of space, they should be fine.

 

[tickens33]

Just want to add, don’t ever feel foolish about asking questions. We all have need of those with more experience however much experience we have

Everyone on this thread was so kind and helpful, it really means a lot!

The chickens did just fine in the heatwave, and since then they now have access to the underside of their coop where it's ~10 degrees cooler in the shade.