My chickens (hens), have been panting which is normal for this time of year. The other day, I put a large 3' x 2' pan in the coop and filled it with water. Just like kids, they took turns standing in the water to cool thier feet. The end of the next day I dumped the water because they had dirtied it too much.
Today, I watered down the dirt in the run with soft spray of water just to settle the dust. This also creates a little coolness to the area. The kept running in and out of the water spray. The next thing I did was to start directing the spray directly on the hens. At first they ran, but soon started to settle down in one corner of the run.
I then sprayed them (I corraled them with the spray) for about two minutes until they were not soaking, but wet. When I quit spraying, the immediately shook themselves off, fanned their wings and just enjoyed the coolness as the air cooled then down with evaporation.
I went out again and did the same about three hours later and they seemed to enjoy the entire process. As long as I don't create a wet run, is there anything wrong with what I am doing? I don't want sick chickens. My neighbor suggsted I could be inviting problems.
I remember on the farm our chickens on the range would stay in the rain during the summer and no harm became them.
Replies
Great. Many thanks (they seem to like it and its pretty consistent water).
Hens Drinking AC Evap water?
I had a water barrel collecting run off from my AC unit on my roof to my compost and was wondering if I let it drip into a shallow pan in the chicken coop if this would be bad for the chickens?
Anyone know?
I really can't think of any harm from this. The water from the a/c condensate won't be consistant. It is good water, just condensed moisture from the air. Good thought!
Hi there,
I hear that chickens do much better in the cold. They need help when it gets so hot here in Phoenix. I have a cheap mist system that I attach up about 6 feet high, in their run, along with a fan. It cools things down quite nicely and the chickens seem happy. On the hot, steamy unbearable nights, when the girls are roosting, I keep the fan on low, directed at them until I go to bed. I also hose down their area on some mornings, and that seems to keep them comfortable, and I too fill a bird bath dish with water (so it's not very deep), but they all take turns standing in it. My coop doesn't get direct sun. If it did, I would put the shade cloth on their coop too. Anything I can do to make my girls happy....which in turn makes us all happy........as we get to eat their yummy eggs! :-) www.bitoheavenfarm.com
I have set a garbage can on its side in the coop with a bit of straw and a frozen gallon milk container at the end. The girls spend a great deal of time inside. I set the lid upside down to fill with water and another frozen bottle of water. The ladies wade across and love the cool water. Like everyone else, the water is changed out daily, and the basin filled morning and night.
I find it amazing as to what lengths animal lovers will go see to it that their "babies" are well cared for and made comfortable. Our kids aren't pampered much better (: I love it!
Kids don't give us eggs! ;)
Ruth
I have the shade cloth over the whole RV area (which is where the chickens are in the summer time). It is the shadey side of a two story house. The shade cloth is attached to the house and to the block wall with eye. There is a mister sitting on a table so that it mists the shade cloth. It cools that whole area off very well. I have several dish pans filled with water, because the chickens do not share well. I do wet a couple of dirt areas down, the chickens will dig and lay in that cool dirt. I have also placed frozen gallon milk bottles in different areas. They will lay near the icey bottle. I have heard of people putting the icey bottles in an igloo style dog house to cool it off for their hens as well.
Donna
I use a combination of shade cloth on the coop/run, water filled saucers, and a mister I bought at Ace Hardware. The mister is coiled and sits on the ground. I like it because I can move it around so that one spot isn't continually wet. I set it up on a timer that I got at HD that attaches to the hose bib for times I'm not home.
My hens like the rain, too.
Robert, I know some folks who found their hens loved to be misted/sprayed. As you note you do not want a run that will be mushy, moldy etc. Also, obviously, you do not want to do this when the temps are too low or you will have sick girls. The wading pool is one of the most successful means to help them keep cool on their terms, although you do have to empty it regularly. I would empty mine into the garden about every 2 days or so - or use a hose to drain and direct the water to different parts of the garden every day. Syphoning works easily by using one hose for draining and simply stick one end under water with another hose "on" and held into the underwater end to get the water running out of the pool.
I'm sure their are permies here who can tell you how they did a mister system or sprayed their girls. Good luck with the girls :-)
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next