HELP!!!!!

The girls have shade, Monty and I built them a shade table to hide under and then when it got hot a few weeks ago he put a tarp on top of the run for more shade. They have the early morning sun and late evening sun. I definitely make sure they have plenty of water threw the day.
I will rpobably wet down the run tomorrow to help them stay cool.

The kind of wading pool I'm talking about getting is hard plastic, I dont think they would tear it up too fast. I have water jugs in the freezer now for tomorrow, but temps in the upper 80's near 90 I dont think they will help for long :/. Mabe wait until around 1 or 2 to put them out in the run for them. sounds like we might need more ventalation. :hu? As for using a fan I dont have electric out there :(
 
The coop is as ventilated as I can make it right now. There are two windows in the back, both wide open, a peak vent on each end, an extra vent I cut in the front, and the main door standing wide open. Only the main door and pop door get closed at night. I have a few large 24 volt server fans and a 24vdc power supply I can rig up to put power ventilation in the coop, but it will have to wait until I get home later this week.

If you haven't already bought a wading pool, you might go to Lowes and look at a couple of those tubs like I used as the planting box in the wheel barrow. Those are concrete mixing/utility tubs and are super strong. They would be easier for you to handle to change the water than a wading pool would be.

Take 4 of the water jugs, fill them and put them in the fridge or deep freeze until they are cold. Use that to water them and refill the jugs and put them back in the deep freeze to cool again. That way you always have two jugs ready to use and two cooling for later.

Use the hose to mist down the run a few times during the day.

If you try to run my 100' extension cord to the coop or run for a fan, don't put it where the chickens can peck at the cords and cause a fire/electrocution hazard.

The chickens will be fine. People raise them in a lot hotter climates than ours.

I'll call later this morning.
 
MontyJ said:
The chickens will be fine. People raise them in a lot hotter climates than ours.
Click to expand...
I don't start my 'emergency' cooling until the temps start pushing towards the 100's. They manage just fine in regular ol' hot weather. They appreciate having somewhere to get out of the sun in the afternoon - but don't panic just because it's 89/90.
 
Cane, I agree with this but consider conditions. If they free range, they can find shade or maybe some cooler damp leaf mold to lie in. If they are cooped into small runs where they dont have options is where you might get into trouble.

I didnt lose any until it was 110+ but now I start watering the run when it gets in the high 90s, near 100. I think thats when they start to stress. Like ours, their natural body temperature is right at 100 degrees.

I think the two I lost last summer were not quite right to start with. The weaker go first. One wasnt acting quite right even before the heat hit. She was on my list already for the next butchering but didnt make it.
 
The chickens aren't weak, they are healthy. I was just out there and gave fresh water. I'm not watering down the run yet because we had some dew last night. I'll keep an eye on them and see how they act. If they act funny I'll get the water turned on and hose the grass down. I'm going to keep the water jugs in the fridge like Monty suggested. We are supposed to cool down again by Saturday. Of course it is time for Jaboreeinthehills so it's time for our annual heat wave. And I hadn't seen the weather for 4 days because I worked our local sportsmans club trap shoot.

I just panicked a little too much I think. But I will watch them close for the next few days.
 
we don't get many days in the 90's to 100's here in the north. when we do they are usually humid and oppressive which can cause issues with the chickens. i've had girls stop laying and will hold their eggs, if they are laying an egg it could be a rubber or soft shell egg. 1 girl used to get egg bound during hot weather and it was disturbing when that happened a couple times before i lost her to a raccoon. just make them as comfortable as possible without installing full on AC! :P
 
Hey Dew, have you heard of Thermocube? I was just thinking that this might help you out a little with the cooling issue. It's a little thermo-gizmo that goes between the plug of a fan and the end of the extension cord. When the air temp gets around 80, it turns on - when it gets back down to somewhere around 70, it turns off. Works great for controling a fan in the coop.
They make one that works for cold too. Turns on and off somewhere just above freezing. Would be handy for whatever is heating their water.

Hope your chooks are still doing well. The first year is the hardest because everything is new.
I guess it's kinda like with kids. With the first one there are alarm bells if the bottle hits the floor.... with the 4th one you figure that if the kibble is good for the dog, a little bit won't hurt the kid. :D
 
No cane, I havent heard of that.... I'm sure if I tell Monty about it he will research it and decide if we need it or if it would be helpful. Thanks for the tip. I have my hose out by te run and water it down every few hours. The heat wave is supposed to be gone by Saturday. It's humid and the air here is really thick. The humidity is what has had me spooked. Your right, the first "kid" is always the hardest. My head has been spinning with all the stuff I've learned :/ it's crazy....
 
Can someone hose me down too, and sprinkle the bush I'm gonna lay under after digging a little hole for myself...

It's friggin too hot for humans where I am right now.

Notice I don't talk about cold in winter with as much vigor as about hot in summer?

Thyroid's kickin in...
 
Marshall, right now it is 101 in Redding .

. . 98 in Ukiah .

. . & 54 in Arcata :P. You need a migratory job that takes you down to the seashore in the summertime.

Steve
 
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