moving chicks to the coop in a hot climate?

[azchickenz]

So I have read many threads that deal with the issue of the weather still being too cold for moving chicks out to the coop but have found very little regarding the same situation but in a hot climate. My issue is I have chicks that will be about 6 weeks towards the beginning of July and I live in Arizona. This means the chickens would be going from my home temperature of 75-80 degrees to consistent triple digit temps outside. Obviously I'm aware of needing clean water, shade and possibly even a mister system or water source to stand in. I've installed a shade sail above the coop/run area and may add additional shade cloth to the coop and run itself. But I'm wondering if the extreme change in temperature from inside to moving could cause any problems even when steps to make sure they have everything they need. Any suggestions to help the transition would be appreciated!

 

[azygous]

I spent a lot of my life living in the desert where summer is nine months long and 117 F was only the average summer temp. I understand the toll such heat can take on living things not acclimated to it.

But that's the key here. Acclimation. Just as we wean baby chicks off their heat needs in the brooder, getting them ready for much cooler temps outside in their coop and run, you will do the same with your chicks, just in reverse.

You will begin by cutting the air conditioning to wherever you have them, slowly raising the room temperature, but make sure you have a fan keeping the air circulating.

I trust you've researched the proper breeds for hot climes, so your chickens should be fine with plenty of fresh water, cooled as much as possible. The Igloo or Rubbermaid insulated coolers with Brite-tap watering nipples would be just the ticket for keeping their drinking water cool and clean. You can even add a chunk of ice to the cooler and it will last all day.

I would definitely have a mister set up and operational during their acclimation period, regardless of the temperature. It will help young chickens ease into their environment without undue stress on their bodies. Another thing that I find helps cool the air down low where chickens spend their time, is to wet the ground. Evaporation can cool the air ten degrees. This is a trick I use with my own chickens on very hot summer days.

If your breeds have large combs and wattles, they will have an advantage toward being able to shed excess heat, and if you don't have these breeds, it's something to definitely consider for future additions to your flock since they will handle heat much better than EEs, for example, with their pea combs and non-existent wattles.

So, to sum up, ease the chicks into their environment very gradually, beginning while they're still inside, then provide as cool of an environment outside as possible to ease them toward acclimating to the hotter temps to come.

 

[azchickenz]

Thanks for the reply! That makes sense. I think once old enough I'll slowly start taking them outside for periods of time to see how they handle it and get acclimated. Any other warm weather chicken helpful hints are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[azygous]

It would be interesting to know what breeds you have. According to what breed they are, that will affect how well they deal with the heat.

Also keep in mind that until they get all of their feathers, chicks have not much insulation from both excessive heat, as well as cold. This means that you need to make sure they aren't in direct sunlight if the temp is over 85 as they will overheat quickly.

After they get all their feathers, they'll be better insulated and able to regulate their body temperature by dissipating heat through their combs and wattles.

Electrolytes in their water is an absolute necessity. You can get powdered electrolytes and vitamins and minerals and mix them into their water. The package will say it's for all livestock. You'll need to break the mixing ratios down for a gallon waterer from the stock tank, multi-gallon instruction.

My uncle used to raise commercial chickens and turkeys in the So Calif. desert outside of L.A. and the only trouble he ran into was when he had too many birds and inadequate air circulation in the barns. With plenty of cool water, and good ventilation and air movement, chickens generally do just fine with high temps.

 

[azchickenz]

The reason for the late start is that we initially bought what we were told were white leghorns from TSC and raised them however they turned out to be Cornish cross and ended up finding someone to take them as my kids were not fond of the idea of eating their pets they raised. We have now started over with an assortment of breeds. We have a Black Austrolorp, Splash Maran, Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and Ameraucana(or possibly EE). my plans are to have a pretty open air coop as I don't think a closed in coop would work well for most of the year and if needed I can add panels to close it in but it rarely ever reaches freezing here.
I also plan on having a tub to keep wter they can stand in and get a bit of evaporative cooling from along with a mister system. I'm tryin to find a timer to setup a misting system that would allow it to run during specified hours and set intervals during that time period. But have had a hard time finding one I could connect direct to a hose connection. I may just use a cheap stand mister until I can find the timer I want and build a better mister system that gives more control later. I have setup a pvc chicken waterer with nipple waterers that I will connect to a bucket that will be filled and can contain ice to keep cool. I like the idea of using the cooler as that would help to keep the water cooler for longer periods of time since in the summer it can stay in the upper 90's even through the night.As mentioned before I also have a large shade clothe running over the area that will provide shade throughout the day and may add another layer of shade clothe to the run itself to double up the shade factor.

Thanks again for all the helpful input and feedback!

 

[azchickenz]

Another question I have is regarding electrolytes. Is there a limit to how frequently they should have electrolytes added to their water? Can it be given daily or should it be limited?

 

[bonbons45]

So, my chickens are now full grown and all laying quite well - we live in Southern Cal. Today it was well over 100, (probably around 105 in their nesting boxes). We were gone most of the day, so when we got back there were 6 lovely eggs, however, they were VERY hot - I'm guessing they had been sitting there around 5 or 6 hours in the heat. Are these eggs okay to eat? I'm new to all of this, so any advise is great.

 

[irwinversion]

@karabeth05 @bridghen Thought this might be helpful!

 

[bridghen]

@karabeth05 @bridghen Thought this might be helpful!

Thank you!