Chicken coops plans

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Take a few minutes to read this article on how to help keep your chickens cool and healthy in hot summer weather, then join our online community of poultry hobbyists.

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Chicken Article summary:

TOP
Ways To Avoid The Heat
Cooling Devices
Heat Stress Prevention Methods

Summer rolls in, and with it the merciless heat of the noonday sun. This is a big concern for farmers conscious of the welfare of their animals. As the summer heat gets hotter and hotter, you beginto wonder how well your flock is handling it. They may not die, but theproblems arising from heat-induced stress can be potentially catastrophic if not dealt with quickly. I remember one summerwhen the temperature was so high that my chickens completely stopped laying.I was inexperienced and thought they had some sort of strange disease,especially when they started strutting around with their beaks wide open andpanting like a dog. Stress and dehydration like this is serious, and can have lasting consequences. Because I did nothing to alleviate their increasingstress, my chickens didn’t lay for a whole year after that fateful month!

Thankfully, I now know better. I’ve devised several rules and tips to keepmy poultry flock cool during the summer, and would love to share them with you. Here are a few of them…but first,lets talk a bit about the chicken itself.

Most living animals, us included, are better adapted for keeping warm than for keepingcool. That’s obvious at a glance when one sees the abundance of fur cats and dogs have (or inthis case, feathers on your chickens). Although the domestic chicken is a descendant of theRed Asian Jungle Fowl (note the word “jungle”, as in “hot, steamy, humid conditions”), even it is better able tokeep warm than cool.

Have you ever stuck your fingers into a chicken’s feathers and felt itsskin? You might be surprised. The body temperature of the bird is about 106.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Itkeeps this temperature steady by converting energy found in its chicken feed intoheat. The less heat the chicken needs, the less feed it must eat. To get ridof excess body heat, the chicken doesn’t perspire (since it has no sweatglands), butinstead it pants like a dog.

The effect of reduced feed consumption, combined with the direct influenceof strong heat on the metabolism of the chicken, produces several things.

First, a quick drop in production and efficiency as the heat rises. In meatbirds, they’ll stop gaining weight. In layer hens, the feed-to-egg ratio isreduced and they often completely stop laying altogether.

Second, heat stress. This is a quite obvious deduction.

Third, the chicken’s system grinds to a halt. An observer will notice thatthe birds are just lying around like a bunch of limp socks…no clucking or preening at all.

And finally, death. This is when the owner begins frantically leaving messages on ourpoultry message boards in the hopes of finding some way toresurrect the poor creatures.

Please note that the chicken, thanks to God’s wonderful creativity, willbecome acclimatized after a while. Experiments done by a panel of expertscientists have shown that, in layers, the body temperature returns tonormal or stabilizes at a slightly higher temperature 3 to 5 days after the initialexposure to constant, extreme temperatures. Thus, if a chickens goes throughvarying high temperatures repeatedly, it will adapt and be able to surviveat an ambient temperature 5 (F) degrees higher than before acclimatization.

The higher the relative humidity of the air, the less heat the mature birdscan tolerate and the more stress it causes. However, high humidity has notbeen proven to affect the growth rate of young chickens.

Another interesting thing to take note of is that White Leghorns seem tohave a far greater heat tolerance than other breeds. Understandably, thinbirds fare much better than heavier, fatter ones. In a heat wave, it isoften the biggest broilers of the flock that are lost first. Also, non-producersare better off than layers, and males better able to cope than females. Andfor those of you who practice the illegal, inhumane, and cruel sport of fighting cocks, birdsthat have had their combs and wattles removed will suffer far more fromextreme heat than those with their head-pieces intact.

WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHICKENS AVOID THE SUMMER HEAT:

If possible, you should try to build your chicken coop on a hilltop. Placeopen sided building to run east to west so that the sun never shinesdirectly into the house. Use wide overhangs at the eaves and solid endwalls. Also, the roof angle will reflect MORE heat at the hottest time ofthe day if the face of the slope is not directly facing the sun.

CHICKEN FLOCK COOLING DEVICES:

Evaporative coolers – These are very effective, but only when the buildingsare completely enclosed. If you’re coop has several windows, or open sides,these type of coolers will not work well.

Air movement – Fans that will turn to blow directly into the chicken flockare an advantage in ANY type of coop. Fans that cause air turbulence in thepen, combined with slatted floors that give them free air flow from below,can do a lot for a suffering chicken. Fans work especially well inopen-sided coops situated in areas that have high-humidity.

Roof sprinklers – If you have a generous supply of water on hand, and do notmind an excessive water bill, this method is extremely effective. It works byspraying water on the coop roofs and walls, and evaporation carries away theheat with the moisture.

Foggers – These are similar to evaporative coolers and only work inbuildings that are completely enclosed. They are also not as practical asother cooling methods due to the fact that they have a tendency to wet theground and create a mess.

CHICKEN HEAT STRESS PREVENTION MEASURES:

1. Before it starts to get hot, take preventative measures! Spare waterers should be ready and on hand.When the weather starts to warm up, act QUICKLY to bring relief to thechickens BEFORE the heat causes excessive stress. After a couple days inhigher temperatures, the flock will slowly become accustomed to the hotconditions and will not need as much help. However, if you do not react rapidly, your flock could suffer dire consequences.

2. Your coop’s litter can act as an insulator and may trap heat. To prevent this,decrease the litter volume and hight to no more than two (2) inches above the floor.

3. For waterers, a fast, cost-effective and simple way to supply more birdswith more water is to use pans (and buckets, pales, pitchers, etc) and fill them with water. Placed strategically around the chicken house, it can cool down the environment and provide refreshment to your birds.

4. If the humidity becomes too high for evaporative coolers and foggers towork effectively, use fans! Place them so that they blow directly into theflock, thereby helping displace heat.

5. Keep the water cool! Plan ahead and bury water supply poles deep enoughin the ground so that they are not warmed by the sun’s rays. Also note that warm water is better than no water.

6. If you have artificial lighting fixtures installed in the coop, turn themon very early in the morning (around 2 o’clock A.M.). This will allow your chickensto feed and drink while it is still cool. Remember that, due to the day’sextended length, it can not be rapidly reduced again or else the layers’ egg cyclewill be disrupted.Only use this measure as an emergencyoption.

7. A supplementary vitamin pack, mixed in with the flock’s water, can domuch to alleviate the flock’s stress and keep up the chickens’ vitality.

8. As a last relief method, spray the birds directly with water. If you finda chicken who has collapsed due to stress, dip it in a bucket of cold water.

9. If you need additional waterers, and don’t have any pans or buckets available, use the feed troughs!

10. Plan ahead by not letting your chickens become obese (sincelarger birds are affected by the heat sooner).

11. If you are raising layers, remember to gather eggs more frequently inhot weather. Spoilage occurs rapidly in high heat.

12. If you are using fans and other cooling equipment, make sure they areall working properly BEFORE the heat strikes!

13. Finally, did I mention that water is crucial? Water water water! I cannot emphasize this more. Water is essential at all times, but even more so during hot weather. Get prepared and be ready to have water on hand for your chickens. Your animals depend on you!

Now that you know how to help keep your chickens cool in the heat and protect your chickens from heat stress, talk to other poultry farmers and learn how they battle the summer heat on our free poultry message boards.

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