Saturday, July 23, 2011

Keeping the Chickens Cool

The last few days have been around 100 degrees with a heat index around 115. I've been taking Drake my black lab with me to work to keep cool and Bristol the chocolate has been staying home inside in her crate. The chicken have pretty much suffering though it on their own. I have been doing what I can but there is only so much you can do when it is this hot. I have been freezing tomatoes and giving them those to help them cool off. They love them too! I have also been freezing water bottles and putting them in the waterer. They seem to melt so fast I don't know if they are really helping at all. I have been thinking about putting a misting system in the run for days like this but just haven't had time lately between work and Vacation Bible School this past week. So this morning we went to Lowe's and picked up some supplies from the garden watering section and built a little temporary mister. It actually works really good. They don't like the water at all but I'm sure they hate the heat more. I noticed they are panting a lot less when the mister is on so it seems to help some. I need to get a timer so I can have it run during the day when I am not here. I'll only use it on the really hot days so I don't waste too much water. I have a pressure fitting connected to the hose that connects to a small hose that runs to the mister fitting. It said on the package that the system should run at 10 gph.






2 comments:

Judy T said...

We tried an extra, open water dish with a frozen water bottle in it. I'm not sure if they drank it but they certainly stood in it. I guess cold feet cool them off. I'm glad they all survived. This heat has been brutal!
Judy

Unknown said...

Eric says way too technical, bc! Not everyone has a good internet connection- some people cant seem to blog or post pictures on their blogs!

LOVE THE BLOG and excited about all your eggs- good luck keeping the ladies cool!