Man... my first chickens.... and I am fighting to keep them healthy & alive. It's been between 102 low up to 110 high over the last 2 months..... in the shade.... every day.... with the most common being 104. I have a box fan going on the main part of their metal wire run 24/7; a bucket for water with Apple Cider Vinager and electrolytes exchanging out every other day with a frozen bottle of water from my freezer floating in it. I also put out a 2'6" long by 1'x6"wide by 8" deep (I pour in 3" of water) heavy plastic "chick wading pool" of water (an office storage container w/o the lid) with a larger frozen bottle of water in it. I change out the bottles twice, once in the a.m. and again before I leave for work in the early afternoon. There's always a chicken drinking in the bucket or 1 to 3 standing in the water. The metal wire run is under an oak shade tree and there is a tarp that covers 3/4 of the setting sun/ rain side & goes over the top of 1/2 of the 9' long run and down 1/4th of the other side. It's protected but 60% open. Lots of ventilation and air flow. (Hardware cloth across the top under the tarp, and 2' at the bottom going up the run and another 2' going around the base of the run. As $ permits, will do more hardware cloth around the middle.) They won't eat cold or room temp watermelon (go figure) & they have 3 places to dust bathe. They still stand around with their wings out and mouths open half the time. I bought a canister sprayer that I can mist the area with as I don't have a hose hookup outside, believe it or not. I have an outdoor thermostate inside the run under the tarped and shaded side of the run hooked on to the wire side. I can keep up with the temps, hot & cold, that way. All 8 are still alive out in this. Have prayed for them!!
I have a large shop fan on a stand that blows through the run and into the coop itself. I put playground sand down in the run so I could wet it daily without creating a wet mess. Works great. I use a blend of Rooster Booster vitamins & minerals in their water along with a rotation of electrolytes and probiotics. I cease with the apple cider vinegar in the heat. I use a couple of inches of hemp as bedding in my coop. It seems to be cooler than other materials that I’ve tried. My coop and run is completely covered by a huge magnolia tree. My girls are truly blessed. Thank you for the video. Spot on!! I’m in south Mississippi. 115 heat index today. I also add ice cubes to their water throughout the day.
South FL doesn't pull any punches when it comes to summer heat.. Shallow trays of water are very good for the feet dips, but my hens have a mission to spill/kock-over everything nice I try to do, so I have to check it all the time lol
I live in the harquahala valley, we been having 115* all week. The mister works great, I have in one corner. Thanks for the other ideas. My ladies are doing ok, no eggs, but they don't seem stressed.
Great video...we are expecting 100+ into August here in East Texas! We've been up to and over 100 degrees for nearly 2 months! I've had a square tub in the free range area for a couple months already.
Been giving watermelon for a week, the misters are leaking everywhere, and mosquitos are too. I have a kiddie pool, but they're not too keen in stepping into it.
Love your videos! Will give the ice and watermelons a try. I have given them watermelon in the past and they do love it! From S FL as well, but living in SC now. And it is so hot up here too!
Put the chicken in a plastic bag before dunking it in water. Avoid the feathers touching the water outright as it might lead to moistness which is uncomfortable and also helps the chicken cool at a better rate and is less shocking than dumping them into water outright
2 of my 3 chickens walked like they were drunk after dunking them in cool water (it was 109 degrees), totally falling over could not stay on their feet Also can't get them to stand in shallow water containers unless i stand over them.
I'm no longer watching any of your videos because it seems you're obsessed with people in masks... which means I can't put any trust into what your offering for chickens. What a shame, really!
"Obsessed" is a pretty strong word and ultimately unfair. I put a lot of time into trying to find footage to give context to the video and so does my team. Not sure what a person with a mask on that is unfolding a tarp in his dorm room for context has ANYTHING to do with how I take care of my chickens. Plus, 99% of the video and my other videos with people barely ever have masks. Maybe just a 3-4 second clip for context. Hopefully, you can understand that saying I'm obsessed with people with masks on is a bit forward of you to say.
I have frozen tomatoes from my garden, I throw a few out in the afternoon for them to snack on. I call them tomato popsicles
Man... my first chickens.... and I am fighting to keep them healthy & alive. It's been between 102 low up to 110 high over the last 2 months..... in the shade.... every day.... with the most common being 104.
I have a box fan going on the main part of their metal wire run 24/7; a bucket for water with Apple Cider Vinager and electrolytes exchanging out every other day with a frozen bottle of water from my freezer floating in it.
I also put out a 2'6" long by 1'x6"wide by 8" deep (I pour in 3" of water) heavy plastic "chick wading pool" of water (an office storage container w/o the lid) with a larger frozen bottle of water in it. I change out the bottles twice, once in the a.m. and again before I leave for work in the early afternoon. There's always a chicken drinking in the bucket or 1 to 3 standing in the water. The metal wire run is under an oak shade tree and there is a tarp that covers 3/4 of the setting sun/ rain side & goes over the top of 1/2 of the 9' long run and down 1/4th of the other side. It's protected but 60% open. Lots of ventilation and air flow. (Hardware cloth across the top under the tarp, and 2' at the bottom going up the run and another 2' going around the base of the run. As $ permits, will do more hardware cloth around the middle.)
They won't eat cold or room temp watermelon (go figure) & they have 3 places to dust bathe. They still stand around with their wings out and mouths open half the time. I bought a canister sprayer that I can mist the area with as I don't have a hose hookup outside, believe it or not.
I have an outdoor thermostate inside the run under the tarped and shaded side of the run hooked on to the wire side. I can keep up with the temps, hot & cold, that way. All 8 are still alive out in this. Have prayed for them!!
I make ice blocks for my hens to stand on the hot afternoons. They love it!
We are roasting in Missouri and we appreciate the tips to beat the heat.
Roasting here again, neighbor!
I have a large shop fan on a stand that blows through the run and into the coop itself. I put playground sand down in the run so I could wet it daily without creating a wet mess. Works great. I use a blend of Rooster Booster vitamins & minerals in their water along with a rotation of electrolytes and probiotics. I cease with the apple cider vinegar in the heat. I use a couple of inches of hemp as bedding in my coop. It seems to be cooler than other materials that I’ve tried. My coop and run is completely covered by a huge magnolia tree. My girls are truly blessed. Thank you for the video. Spot on!! I’m in south Mississippi. 115 heat index today. I also add ice cubes to their water throughout the day.
South FL doesn't pull any punches when it comes to summer heat.. Shallow trays of water are very good for the feet dips, but my hens have a mission to spill/kock-over everything nice I try to do, so I have to check it all the time lol
Shade cloth is so much better to make shade. The air still flows through it.
Thank for your tips.
Excellent video....clear, to the point and easy to watch/listen.
This video is right on time. I was going to do a similar video concentrating on frozen treats and cool water and electrolytes. Great video!
Thank you!
Feed fermented feed or at the bare minimum feed that has been soaked. It increases the amount of fluid they get in their bodies.
Very helpful in Arizona
I live in the harquahala valley, we been having 115* all week. The mister works great, I have in one corner. Thanks for the other ideas. My ladies are doing ok, no eggs, but they don't seem stressed.
ooooff 115 I don't think i've ever been in that kind of heat lol
Great video...we are expecting 100+ into August here in East Texas!
We've been up to and over 100 degrees for nearly 2 months!
I've had a square tub in the free range area for a couple months already.
Same here in Northern California 🥵🥵
Frozen cabbage is what we use. However, I live in the upper PNW, so we don't get really hot days, and my backyard is a forest.
Thank you. As a new chicken owner, your videos are very informative. 🙂
My girls got their first dust baths today...and I'll try some of the other tips, too. Thank you and god bless your home, coop, and channel!
We have an air conditioner in the coop. I turn it off in the evening after the sun goes down
❤very helpful during these 100°+ weeks on end. Thank you❤
Thank god my girls have lits of shade. I also water a shady area. It lowers the temperature.
Been giving watermelon for a week, the misters are leaking everywhere, and mosquitos are too. I have a kiddie pool, but they're not too keen in stepping into it.
I put frozen bottles of water in 2-3 times a day during summer.
Are you in South Florida? I have two Roos that I am trying to rehome. A 10 week old f2 olive egger and 6 week old black copper maran.
Love your videos! Will give the ice and watermelons a try. I have given them watermelon in the past and they do love it! From S FL as well, but living in SC now. And it is so hot up here too!
Glad you like them!
Put the chicken in a plastic bag before dunking it in water. Avoid the feathers touching the water outright as it might lead to moistness which is uncomfortable and also helps the chicken cool at a better rate and is less shocking than dumping them into water outright
Install a top of the range air-conditioning into their coop. The more expensive to run, the better (im joking)
2 of my 3 chickens walked like they were drunk after dunking them in cool water (it was 109 degrees), totally falling over could not stay on their feet
Also can't get them to stand in shallow water containers unless i stand over them.
We built a kiddie pool with rocks around it so they can easily get in and out. They never use it. Not once. 10 birds. Been a month
I'm no longer watching any of your videos because it seems you're obsessed with people in masks... which means I can't put any trust into what your offering for chickens. What a shame, really!
"Obsessed" is a pretty strong word and ultimately unfair.
I put a lot of time into trying to find footage to give context to the video and so does my team.
Not sure what a person with a mask on that is unfolding a tarp in his dorm room for context has ANYTHING to do with how I take care of my chickens.
Plus, 99% of the video and my other videos with people barely ever have masks. Maybe just a 3-4 second clip for context.
Hopefully, you can understand that saying I'm obsessed with people with masks on is a bit forward of you to say.