How do you keep your outdoor birds cool in the summer?

[blaqkbunnies]

I live in AZ, so the summers are brutal. I'm spraying my outdoor birds a few times a day with cool water and the always have cool water for drinking, but they are still panting at times.

What are some better ways to keep them cool on super hot days?

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

a friend of mine put in misters for her lorries I do not know any more as my birds are inside under the ac

 

[atvchick95]

I don't have any outside - the weather here changes too much to do that

but I've known people on other forums who had theirs outside, and used a water sprinkler - set to go off at a certain time each day

they also had part of their aviary shaded - Like using a big tarp to partion part of it off (the tarp of course would go around the outside not inside) so they have a shaded area

some also have been known to use the industrial type fans (that you can use outside when its not raining) and having it blowing towards them

just yesterday at Walmart i think is what website i was on, I saw a MISTING FAN - you hook it up to your garden hose and it mists as the fan blades turn - I though that was a pretty cool invention - of course it was invented for us humans BUT as long as the birds couldn't get to the blades I don't see why something like that wouldn't work as well.

 

[JLcribber]

You can get automatic misting systems. Some can even be triggered by the birds.

 

[blaqkbunnies]

My birds are on the porch and have solid tops to their aviaries (we made our own for this reason), so they have plenty of shade. I'll have to look into the misting fan or maybe just an industrial fan.. I feel bad that they're outside birds but they were raised outdoors before we adopted them and we thought it best to continue instead of changing the environment.

 

[Renae]

Lots of ice for one..

And a sprinkler works really well too.

 

[MoluccanZoey]

Mine aren't outside, but I just got a big cage to put outside (thanks Anna) and got a mister from Lowes (for like $10) that hooks to the hose. I think we will be having some good times this summer!

These are the two things I bought (much cheaper at Lowes, but darned if I could find a link on their page)
Amazon.com: Orbit 10057W Arizona Outdoor Misting System Cobra…

Amazon.com: Orbit 10198 Arizona Outdoor Misting System Sidewinder…

 

[Birdlover]

Shade and misters here. Mine have full covers so they always have shade, but there are also huge trees that shade the cage tops, so its more like layers of shade (because if their roof is hot, they will be too). The misters make a huge difference. It can get pretty hot here too but in the outdoor aviary its noticeably cooler.

 

[hotfoot jackson]

I live in Oz and my state is stinking hot in summer. Ways to cool people and other animals; 1. ice in their water
2. wet branches in the cage- wind blows through and becomes cooler, moist and birds wipe themselves on them
3. hang a piece of cloth on the wire, wet this and you get primitive a.c.
4. frequent squirts

 

[Annamacaw]

When I put Anna out in her porch cage I use a misting system. The one we have allows you to use a bucket of water instead of a hose.

Here is the one I have (and it is on sale....) Their service is excellent!!!!!

MistKing Misting Systems by Jungle Hobbies Ltd

 

[AZReno]

Hey bunnies, I'm in Mesa! My lovebirds are in an outside aviary and one thing I've learned is I am not going to be able to keep them from panting, it's just super hot here in summer. I also learned they know what to do, they go to the spot with the most airflow and when it's really bad they'll go to the ground.

Things you can do to make it easier, clean fresh water. The water gets foul quickly in the heat but more than that it gets hot, so mine all get clean fresh water at least twice a day, sometimes more. Spray them with the hose, it helps. My aviary has a layer of palm fronds on top and I spray those down, too. Shade. I'm working on getting vines to grow up and over but that takes time, but shade cloth on spots that get late day sun, careful about putting up too much shade cloth because you can start to block air flow. Any fan, but if you ahve a portable cooler why not use it! I had a friends who used one with with her outside lovebirds, and it made her feel so much better about her birds and I'm sure they liked it, too Or if you can hang a wet towel in front of the fan...like Sue said, primitive AC, or an evap like we call it here

If using a mister and you have city water, do make sure you have a very good filter on it! If you've used a filter that didn't, then you probably saw the film left behind after even a few minutes from city water, so imagine that on your birds and in their food and water....eww.

HTHS!

 

[Bokkapooh]

You can get automatic misting systems. Some can even be triggered by the birds.

That was an awesome video John Not only is the avairy awesome, the U2 and the GW are having a blast in it, the misting system looks great and fun or the birds!