Abstract: An evaporative cooling system for poultry houses and the like includes a cooling water reservoir, at least one evaporative pad positioned directly above the reservoir, and fan disposed on one side of the pad to draw ambient air horizontally through the pad to evaporate a portion of the cooling water flowing vertically therethrough, and flow the cooled air into the interior of the poultry house. A header is disposed above and along the upper end of the pad, and includes a conduit flowing cooling water longitudinally therethrough with orifices shaped to emit streams of cooling water in an outwardly direction. A deflector extends above and outwardly of the conduit, and has a hood-shaped configuration which deflects the streams of cooling water from the orifices and disburses the same in a predetermined pattern onto and across the upper end of the pad.