Ready for my fall chicks with this totally customized brooder! Hubby spent countless weekends designing and building this beautiful addition to my brooder shed. The interior can be divided into two sections, both are designed for radiant heating as well as overhead low wattage supplemental heat lamps. The plexiglass front allows the chicks to actually see the world before they’re moved into the grow pen. Special Features Brooder has six conveniently placed power outlets and cord stays. Plenty of storage below for all those bulky supplies. Digital wireless temperature read-out from brooder to our home. Floor of brooder is easy to clean linoleum tiles. Top lifts for easy access on both sections and both are self-soft closing. Brooder box is high so it’s easy on the back for cleaning.
I’m always amazed at all that needs to be done the week before a poultry show. Every show we’ve attended we have learned more efficient ways to get the birds looking their best, sometimes it has been by learning the hard way. Hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes and our successes as we give you a glimpse at what the week before a show looks like on our little farm… Read Article
Oh my! 116 today and keeping chickens in this ridiculous heat adds to my chore list when it’s just so hard to be outdoors. But for the love of chickens, I pour on the sunscreen, hide from the sun under a giant umbrella, and head out to the barn. By 8 AM it’s already in the 90s and too hot for the flock to be confined. It’s most certainly better to allow chickens to dig holes, seek out shade, and follow their instincts on ways to best battle the heat. Of course, as a desert dweller, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help them find relief. A Few Tips, Create a Cooling Station Here’s what I do. There’s a portable mist system in the shade and a low-sided shallow pool with a few bricks inside for them to sit on. The bricks stay cool, some use it, and some don’t. None of the birds seem to fancy the mist system, nevertheless, it does cool the immediate air by about 20 degrees, so I entice them to the area with fresh greens or fruit.
Layer pellets are available, but kept in their coop where the temperature is undesirable. Considering there is corn in feed, it should be kept at a minimum because corn produces heat. Some chicken keepers will pull feed completely during the day when it’s this hot. But I find this unnecessary since chickens limit their food intake by choice… at least mine do.
Predators are a worry when the chickens are allowed to free roam, but let’s face it, confined chickens in 116+ temperatures is a death sentence in these parts. I take my chances, keep an eye on them, and hope during the day predators won’t be actively looking for food until sundown. Chickens like to dig holes, don’t discourage this. It’s their instinct to find cooler ground. They will look for anywhere water has been and choose that spot as the ideal place to settle into. Help them out, dump their drinkers in the same place every day, or leave a hose in the shade on a tiny drip. Keep the drinkers clean and offer COLD water during the day. Chickens aren’t fond of hot drinking water. Large drinkers will stay colder longer, but I also use shallow buckets or bowls so I can add a chunk of ice during the day. The worst choice for a water source (where it’s super hot) is nipple drinkers, here’s why…
Nipple drinkers are neat gadgets, but if you live in an oven, forget using them, especially the type with those tiny drinker cups. The water in the small cups gets way too hot and chickens avoid using them. Using nipples is just as useless in my opinion. The water in the container itself may be cool, but the water sitting in the lines heats up fast, and your birds won’t drink enough to stay hydrated. Remember, the sun moves, either you have to move your drinker to keep it in the shade, or provide water in various locations to assure there is cool water throughout the day. Nipple drinkers are not usually movable, they’re meant to be low maintenance, fill ’em and leave ’em… which is exactly why they’re not used on my farm.
Keeping your birds hydrated with cool water is absolutely vital… and just to make sure they have enough fluid intake, offer up some watermelon!
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 