An Air Conditioner in the Chicken Coop?
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Yes. You read that correctly. We put an air conditioner in the chicken coop. Are my chickens spoiled? Perhaps. But they are alive!!
Living in Phoenix, I am challenged with keeping my chickens alive during the summer. Our temps have been known to creep up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, that isn't normal. But 110 is still darn hot!!!
In the past, I have set up misters for our hens to cool off with. However, after we moved, I discovered that the place where the misters could be set up also happened to be in full sun. The chickens aren't too dumb. They realized that they could cool off in the misters, but didn't spend too much time there in the afternoon as it didn't offer any shade.
A month ago, or so, we had a 118 degree day. Hot. Way too hot. Despite the misters being on and available for cooling, we still lost a hen to the heat. My husband and I started discussing how we were going to keep the chickens alive this summer and he painted a picture of something similar to the Cool Zone on an NFL sideline. Perfect!
I started looking for a small and simple evaporative cooler that we could put into the coop on those extra hot days! There are lots of portable evap coolers, but they were a bit larger than what I was looking for. Then, by a stroke of luck while on Amazon, I saw a “if you like this, then you might like this…” picture of a small air conditioner. Wait. AC? In my chicken coop? Would that work?
Well, why not?? And it would be easier because all we would have to do would be plug it in! We didn't have to consider the water factor. The fact that it could be easily installed AND it was less than $200 sealed the deal.
I ordered an air conditioner on amazon for my chickens. Yes, I did shake my head and laugh out loud. And I also wondered why I hadn't thought of this before!
The chickens LOVE it! I think they are relieved, actually. I always felt bad for them because even after the sun went down, they never really got to cool off! I will say, it isn't freezing in there – I mean, it is a wood shed – not exactly air tight. BUT! It is at least 20 degrees cooler than outside. They must love it because when I check on them, they are ALL in the coop, perched on their roost opposite the AC, with their feathers blowing in the cool breeze.
Yes, it is a tad ridiculous. But they give me food! And if they are super stressed about the heat, they won't give me their delicious eggs! So, if I can cool them off a bit, keep them alive, and keep us in eggs, everyone is winning!
Does anyone else in warm climates air condition your chickens? Please, tell me all about it! At least I won't be the only crazy chicken lady!
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We couldn’t afford an extra AC (I did think about it), but did put a fan in our chicken house during one extremely hot, humid summer. The poor dears would be on the roost with their beaks open and wings spread, trying to cool off. They appreciated the fan.
haha! Oh hon I do understand the heat. Been here in Phoenix (now Chandler) for 17yrs. But, it’s home for us! Great idea on the portable unit. Our youngest daughter has been asking for chickens (we lost our little maltese back in April (prior to that went through a goldfish & hermit crab phase)and are now animal-less), however, my husband and I both know the care it takes to have ANY animals on hand. (Although I would love the fresh eggs to for my family) We’ll let the idea marinate some more. However, thanks for this tip!
I an getting a coop soon and have a used air conditioner, living in Florida it get hot here not like Az ( I miss Az but not the heat) the humidity here will choke you. So I glad I won’t be the onky one.
This is genius. Thanks for sharing this.
How do you keep your air conditioner clean so it doesn’t brake?
Heh! Such a great idea! And some conditioners can work for a hot air that may help in cold winter.
Thanks for the idea! Definitely beats messing around with ice all day long.
Yes me too. I put one in my coop last summer after losing a chicken to the heat here in Kingman, AZ. We had a really hot spell for a couple of weeks exceeding 110 which is really hot for northwest AZ. My coop is 8×14. I also have a fan above the AC. My only problem is keeping it clean and dust free. I put an extra AC filter over the front. It helps but I still would like to figure out a way to prevent dust from entering. I do shake it out every day. Any suggestions?
Love this! We just bought a small ac from Amazon for our coop, too, and are counting the days till it arrives. Swamp coolers and sisters do no good in southern Missouri.
Haha, I meant to type misters but sometimes sisters do no good, too.
HVAC systems may worn out from time to time. So always perform maintenance from professionals.
Wow, never thought of that, thanks!
Does it help? We’re considering doing the same.
That’s very well written and well crafted piece of writing, and contains a lot of shareable information, thanks for sharing.
Yes we live in Florida and we have one in our barn where we house our chickens, mini pigs & bunnies. They may be a bit spoiled but I don’t have to worry about them during our hot humid days here. I let them out early in the mornings and late afternoons for exercise and free ranging.
I see you chose a window unit for the chicken coup but ductless units are another great choice for larger chicken coups. With that said, it looks like your chickens will be cool and happy now !
Wonderful article:) We just installed an air conditioner in our coop! I couldn’t keep our chickens cool last summer during heat waves….misters, fan, and frozen bottles didn’t help….had to resort to bringing the in the house during the afternoon heat.
Aldi has small window air conditioners 5000 btu for only $99…….. will only use during heat waves in the afternoons……
Polluted air poses a high risk of developing respiratory disorders and can be potentially harmful to people already suffering from respiratory problems. But you’ll be glad you have an option of personal air purifier hanging around your neck, kept by your side, perched on your desk at work, or by your bed at night. They’re great for taking along with you while traveling as well.
It was crazy to read that it can get up to 120 degrees in Phoenix! But I really liked your idea to incorporate an AC unit to an outside place. My husband is thinking about converting our shed into a man cave. I’ll be sure to pass along the idea to maybe add an AC unit to make it cooler in the hot summer days! We’d probably hire a professional to help us out with it since we aren’t that handy.
I use air conditioning for my chickens here in Sacramento, CA and my chickens love it. Not strange at all. They feel hot; they feel cold; they are living organisms like us.
Hey, this was very helpful. Thanks
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Appreciate your work.Thanks for sharing.
regards:
AC Duct Cleaning Dubai
These tips are kinda useful. If you ever face any problem regarding your air conditioner feel free to contact us!
AC Maintenance Dubai
Wow! your work is really appreciated. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! your work is really appreciated. Your work is really appreciated.
I appreciate your tip about getting your ducts and vents clean to ensure good air quality when it comes to your HVAC system.
Regards:
AC Installation Dubai
After this week’s 110+F days in Tucson, I replaced my makeshift setup with Evap and hoses to feed the air into the coop with a small 5000 BTU A/C unit, similar to the one in your picture. The girls love it and are a lot happier in the mornings now. I can tell that the heat stresses them less now that they can cool off over night. I installed high up in the coop, away from the dirt pan in the hopes of not clogging the filter too quickly.
Thank for your inspiration!
Hi! We live in Texas and our spring and summers are hot and very humid. Starting in May usually and through September temperatures range from 80- 112. I was reading that humidity is harder on chickens. We have 3 pet hens. I love them and care for them. They are living creatures deserving of my comfort and care. I protect them from critters that want to eat them (fox, coyotes, raccoons, etc. and I found an air conditioner at Lowes (Hisense brand) that fits perfectly in the window to their loft, where they sleep and have nest boxes. We had an electrician come and put in a safety electric box so I can plug em in. We also trade it for a heater during winter. We have a fan set up in the run. And-I have a baby monitor in there so I can hear if anything is trying to get in in the middle of the night. The AC is on wheels and I can roll it out to clean the filters and coil with the water hose periodically. You’ll find the perfect AC as each coop is differently built. Before I got the AC, one of my chickens was up every night making a heart breaking sound! She doesn’t do that anymore. It’s really wonderful to know there are many other kind- hearts out there. If it’s hot in your region- please be kind and take care of yourself and others with an air conditioner!❤
Well u are not alone i did the same thing and call me crazy but love my chicken girls . So I’m a crazy but responsible owner. And who cares i pay my electric bill..so i always say if u can not take care your animals don’t have one .love u for that idea
Oh, dear, where should I start? We live in north TX, with oppressive heat plus humidity that makes evaporative coolers ineffective here. We’ve tried several ways to alleviate our three hens’ diarrhea and panting from heat stress: 1) feeding cucumbers and watermelon, etc. 2) using a large shop fan outdoors 3) beach umbrellas to shade their water 4) solar-powered fans and shade cloth around their coop. It still gets well past 100 in there in the afternoons, but that’s still about 10 degrees cooler than the main yard. We eventually caved during the “blizzards” of the last two winters, and again for the summers, allowing them inside our laundry room, with washable incontinence pads on the floor and pet beds as makeshift nest boxes. They are now completely spoiled, and spend most of the day inside until we kick them out. Your way seems much better, so maybe by next year, we’ll figure out how to install a real A/C, perhaps in a closed anteroom to their coop.
I’m SO relived that I’m not the only chicken mom who allows their birds into the utility room. The last 2 hurricanes to blow through the Sandhills of NC didn’t affect our birds; Momma brought them (we only have 6—for now) inside and made copious use of disinfecting wipes during and diluted bleach water on the floors afterward. Hubs wasn’t thrilled, but was much more amenable to putting a tower heater in the chicken house this winter for sub-30 nights when I brought up bringing the birds back inside. I imagine he’ll be very willing to break out the tools to install a small AC for them now! Chicken parents aren’t to be messed with. 😉
What about the dust chickens give off? Do you have trouble with the dust clogging the filter on the air conditioner?
Yes. I do have to clean the filter off.
Yes! We just installed one! But I can’t get them to go in there in the heat of the day! We are going to add windows to see if that helps. But most are panting in front of the fan in the shade.
I live in St George so I’m very familiar with 110° summer days that don’t cool off at night.
I’ve been thinking about getting chickens since 18 eggs cost nearly 9$ BUT the question came to mind how would the chickens do in such hot weather, I found out it stresses them.
So an air conditioned coop came to mind and I had to Google it to see if that was even a thing.
Lol thank you for clearing that up for me.
Cool Chickens
No concerns about the draft the birds get when the cold air blows directly on them?
It is on during the day and they have the ability to leave if they want to.