Good airflow will help to move out both the moisture and the heat put off by the birds. Don’t laugh! It's HOT! Ensure the coop has screened (but predator-proof!) We like to give our girls frozen peas, corn, watermelon chunks, and chopped frozen strawberries on hot days. I just tested a few and them seem to be working for me. Believe it or not, in most cases it’s more difficult to care for chickens during the blazing heat of summer than it is during winter. Click here for information on reviews, sponsored posts, and contact information. 4. I would prefer a small , not noisy, good egg layer , and docile breed. Your email address will not be published. You may want to look into the bantam versions of australorps or orpingtons. However, that means that when we are hit with a random heat wave, our chickens are absolutely not accustomed to it. I have 6 girls, my first time having chickens in the heat of California. This has been on my mind as our temps will reach 107 next week and even higher throughout the summer here in AZ. Overheating chickens will usually pant: breathing heavily through an open beak, often moving their tongues up and down. So, when our chickens are looking miserable and I am worried for their safety, we gently submerge them (only up to their shoulders) in a bucket of cool to room temperature water for about one minute. Try freezing some treats! One thing we do is prop open the main coop door during hot days to keep the girls trying to lay eggs inside more cool – but we have to be diligent to remember to close it back up again at night! I can’t get some of your topics to work when I click on them…Such as Top 18 Breeds of Chickens for your backyard flock. The feet and legs of the chicken are one of ... Dust Bathing. This is probably the fastest and easiest way you can do to keep your chickens cool. The cool moist air lowers the relative temperature of the area through evaporative cooling. Chickens will need more water in hot weather, and they’ll cope much better if it’s cool. You all tota, They're ready! You will probably notice a drop in egg production when it’s very hot, especially for breeds with small combs. Although they do a pretty good job of keeping themselves cool, I (along with many backyard chicken keepers) tend to pamper our flock a little In fact, if you have a shady area with a few misters going, your chickens may be quite comfortable even if you’re sweating. Safety first! It is always recommended to provide good ventilation inside a chicken coop, but even more so in hot conditions. Nobody likes a crowd on hot days. Some chicken keepers add ice to their chicken waterers to keep them cool. It hydrates and cools them, and the LOVE it. Try to move your run into a shady area if possible. Adding a mister can significantly cool down an area. I will be thinking of you and your flock! With the measures described below, it is fairly easy to keep your chickens cool during hot summer weather with minimal intervention. Chickens love taking dust baths and working the cool dirt particles into their feathers. Feed them frozen treats such as watermelon and berries. Adding some ice to the water hits the spot, just be sure not to add too much. While it melts, the hot chickens peck at them for the treats but also keep cool by keeping their feet near the cool ice melting. You can save money at the grocery store without a time intensive garden or committing to raising livestock. Click here to see a video of our hot weather chicken coop. Dehydrated chickens and chicks will go downhill very fast so it is vital that on hot days that they are kept as cool and hydrated as much as possible. Our girls love to hang out under the trees in our yard. It’s hot. You can purchase an entire misting system, or just add a misting nozzle onto the end of your hose. Water Misters. Help chickens cool off with frozen treats. In no particular order, here are the top eight tips for keeping your chickens cool in the summer: Add electrolytes to their water. Thanks for reading. Chickens that live in places with routinely hot conditions may become accustomed to the heat, and tolerate it better than those who are used to more temperate conditions. If you have no natural shade, tarps or shade cloth can be used in a pinch, but they’ll also reduce ventilation. Chickens are rockstars at a lot of things: laying eggs, throwing sass, making us laugh, digging holes… But one thing chickens aren’t great at is keeping themselves cool and collected in extreme heat. Thanks for sharing the tip about the fans. Reduce the bedding layer inside the coop to no more than 2 inches deep to prevent trapping in heat. But when it is extremely hot, they often replace their waterers with something very shallow because these are easier to refill and keep … As airborne water droplets evaporate, it immediately cools the air. If your chickens are showing signs of heat stress, adding electrolytes to their water can help them stay hydrated and healthy. I cut off big hunks and put it out for the birds (I have about 40 chickens). That means for every 7 adult chickens you have, you need one gallon of fresh water. You can bring them cool water throughout the day if needed. When the weather gets hot, it can mean trouble for your birds. Consider adding a fan in the coop if safe electricity is available, or use a solar-powered fan. Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Like ventilation, providing a nice dust bath space is always a good idea. If you have chickens pet them A LOT!! First off, WOW. Freeze Their Feed. 1) Provide Shade. A shallow pan of cool water placed in a shady area is great for them to dip their feet into. Another option is to string one of these cool shade canopies between posts, fences, or trees. You may enjoy these related articles: Using your tips to take care of my chicks here in Nigeria. The very best thing you can do to ensure your birds will be warm in winter is to start off with cold hardy chicken breeds.Cold hardy breeds have very small combs and wattles, making them less susceptible to … What do I do the egg production is fine they ACT fine but look horrible. Here on the mild Central Coast of California, a heat wave of 90+ degree days is quite unusual, uncomfortable and risky for our flock. Some berries float and some sink, but the chickens eat them all and afterwards they seemed a whole lot cooler. Now let's take a look at some things you can do to keep your birds cool outside of their coop. Read more…. Providing lots of cool, clean water is the number one way to prevent heat stress in chickens! A few suggestions on keeping your chickens cooler during the hottest times of the year. I learn so much from you. Sounds like you have a lot of experience! Join the free email course and learn how to start gardening (even if you have a black thumb!) I know many people who set up little kiddie or wading pools for their chickens to enjoy. If you notice a bird that is non-responsive you need to act very quickly to cool her down! Don’t discourage hole digging, it’s a perfect place for dumping water buckets during the day, chickens will play in the water then lay in the mud holes to stay cool. Frozen fruits or ice blocks with scraps of vegetables make great treats for a hot day. There are many different types of misters on the market. Read along to learn more! Another popular idea is to make frozen treat blocks. It sure is. There was an error submitting your subscription. They are also very beautiful. At the very least, plant some trees so that next year you’ll have them. But if you don’t usually provide one and then whip out a big blue kiddie pool during a random heat wave, your chickens will probably just look at it (and you) sideways. 10 Ways to Keep Chickens Cool in Hot Weather. I'm in western West Palm Beach, with a large flock of many different chicken breeds, and haven't had problems with any of them in our heat. I have 3 California whites and 3 black australopes. Chickens are generally hardy animals, but they can have trouble regulating their temperature in the summer. This is one of the most simple but crucial measures. The difference between shade and direct sunlight can be up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it one of the most significant ways you can keep your chickens cool. Put her in cool (NOT ICY) water and make sure to get past her feathers to her skin. Shade: If you don't have trees or buildings that provide natural shade for your hens then it's time to make your own shade!Get creative here and use what you have. Freezing their feed for an hour or so before putting it out is one way to make it potentially more appetizing, as well as cooling. Therefore, chicken breeds with large combs and wattles are able to cool themselves more readily than those with small peacombs. How Do You Know If You Have a Sick Chicken? Make a mud bath. Any enclosed space is going to have a greenhouse effect. Thanks for reaching out! My chickens tend to … 5) Ventilate the Coop. The others don’t work either! Your email address will not be published. That’s great to hear! They need your help! I’m all about simple living, real food, and everything plants. Hi Kay – Do you mean the links/articles listed at the very bottom of this article? Add your experience (or ask questions) in the comments below! One of them was very agressive and killed 2 other chickens and atacked my other 8. Hoping to set the pool up with blocks today to encourage their use. Use these tips for keeping chickens cool and comfortable in warm weather: Provide shade by placing roofs on the run or shade cloths over the door. Mist systems are nice, but chickens are not especially fond of them, the air around them however is about 5 to 10 degrees cooler, so you’ll find them congregating near it. and finally save money and grow delicious vegetables! Ensure that your chickens have a shady space to retreat on hot days. Sign up for the Backyard Orchards email course today! A lot of us will be able to escape the summer heat and humidity by cooling off in a lake, or inside an air conditioned home. Spray down the chicken run so there are small puddles for them to lay in, or provide shallow pans of water. Chickens have a natural body temperature of 107° (F). Truth be told, we have dunked our hot chickens in water on several occasions – and they seem to love it! Did you know that some treats actually increase a chicken’s body temperature? We don’t have to worry about cold temperatures or freezing water in South Florida, in fact we introduce frozen water in the dead of summer to give our chickens a much needed break from the heat. This makes it quite easy to become malnourished, adding to an already stressful situation. You could also put a frozen bottle into their water to help it cool down. They could die if not taken care of. Chickens can lower their body temperature by keeping their feet cool. I know many people who do. If they don’t have a natural area in the run, then provide a rubbermaid tub of dirt for them to use. Did I forget any good tips that you use to keep chickens cool in the summer? They seem to have enough jungle bird instincts left to know how to stay cool when they need to. Most summer days are in the 70s, and rarely over 85°F. It is important to keep chickens cool in the summer. Thanks alot. A foot or so below the surface, the soil is cooler than the air temperature. Chickens can’t sweat to cool themselves. Yet other folks say their chickens won’t use them much. Of course the best course of action is to keep your hens from overheating in the first place. Dust bathing in shade is one way to for chickens to keep their cool in summer heat. As microbes work to break it down, the material physically heats up. If a chicken becomes alarmingly listless, a final resort is to bring them inside to the cooling comfort of your home. The heat and humidity can make being outside nearly unbearable. Fill galvanized metal tubs (what we use), a sturdy tote bin, kiddie pool, or other container with fine dirt or sand. Here are 5 tips on how to keep chickens cool in the summer. i reciently got chickens. Prolonged hot temperatures combined with high humidity is an especially uncomfortable combination, for chickens and humans alike. If you know of any good one 1m open for suggestions! Fill a large “tupperware” type container with water and berries (or similar), freeze it overnight, and set it out the next day for the chickens to pick at as it thaws. Electrolyte tablets are important for extreme heat and can prevent dehydration. They mostly lay around in the shade and don't move much when it's really hot. So, if you live in a hot area, try to choose lightweight chicken breeds with larger combs. Rather, provide cold, refreshing, high-moisture treats such as watermelon and other fruits and veggies. While this is a clever way to keep the coop warmer during winter, it is less-than-ideal in hot summer conditions! I read your information regularly. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation in the coop. Normally, poultry farmers just provide 30 litres of water in their coops. My largest coop has a window that opens and shuts. We live in TN, on the AL line. Fans. I’ll probably be chicken dunking very soon! Our girls ... 2) Cold Fresh Water. Note that you should NOT dunk them in freezing cold or even notably cold water. When we’re having a heat wave, our tap water is usually plenty warm to use as-is. I’ve sprayed them and the coop but can’t find a lice or mite even though when I had a chick born a few months ago he was ate up with them. I usually fill up 2ltr bottles with water and freeze them to put in my girls fav spots to sit outside to cool off in the heat they love them!! Julie – Good luck during the heat wave. It gets quite hot here in the Sacramento Valley too (CA). 8 Tips For Keeping Chickens Cool In The Summer. If your chicken run area is mostly sunny, create additional shade by draping black shade cloth over the run. In general, temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit increase the risk of heat stress and heat-related illness in chickens, including death. They should be fine, unless there are larger chickens that will beat up on them. Worms are a “living soil amendment”, says Cornell University, and a key component to the vitality of our garden! Breeds that are hardy in cold weather will not do as well. Chickens don’t really like to stand in water, but when it’s hot, they will cool their feet in a muddy puddle. Put too many chickens in too small of an area, and it will be difficult for them to stay cool. Some chicken keepers use a “deep litter” method, which allows the bedding material (and chicken excrement) to form a deep pile on the coop floor. They are some of the best foragers, so they make excellent free-range birds and penned chickens too, as long as you keep moving the pen around for ample forage. If your area gets very hot, plan accordingly when designing your coop. Hey friends! On the other hand, smaller or lighter chicken breeds generally do better in heat. Smaller breeds tend to be more active, while larger breeds can be more docile. This will cool her down gradually and may possibly save her life. openings that allow for a nice cross-breeze. They also don’t get to go swimming like us lucky humans, so what are they supposed to do? If you notice them walking around with their beaks open, that’s a sign that they’re overheating and attempting to cool down. I may make a small commission from purchases made through some of those links, at no extra cost to you. The built up material acts as an extra layer of insulation in the coop. Success! 3. For example, if they’re outside all day and the evenings cool off nicely, you might not need to make any serious adjustments. Clean, cool water is essential for your flock to survive hot temperatures. Provide dust bathing space. That is sufficient time to rapidly cool their internal body temperature. How to Keep Hens Cool on a Hot Summers Day. Keep in touch with our weekly newsletter and receive a FREE digital, printable garden planning toolkit! Spoiled chickies❤️ Soil a few inches below the sunny ground surface can be several degrees cooler. Outside of the Chicken Coop. My chickens I had previous were in Hawaii big difference. 7 Ways To Keep Your Chickens Cool During Summer. If your area is known for high heat, hopefully you set up your coop and run with cooling measures already in mind. 2) Bobbing for berries: If the chickens don't seem to be drinking enough, float some ice and berries in a bowl of water and let them at it. I'd like to receive the free email course. They emit a small amount of cooler air. They are also smart enough to seek shade, create dust bathing areas, and drink plenty of water. I will only link to products I know and believe in! Here are six ways to help your chickens stay cool during the summer. Adding more waterers, keeping them filled, and locating them in shady spots is helpful. Shade is the most important way to keep your chickens cool in the summer. Scratch is helpful in very cold weather as an energy/ internal heat source for the chickens when they are in a very cold climate (like way below freezing). Thank you so much for these tips! Here’s a decently priced misting nozzle if you need an example of what to look for. However, when the temperatures spike, they can drink up to twice as much water. Provide at least 4 square feet of indoor coop space and 10 square feet of outdoor space per chicken. Whenever the temperature gets above 90 degrees it can be dangerous for your backyard flock. Manna Pro ® Life-Lytes™ Mega Tabs are easy to use and each tablet makes a gallon of vitamin/electrolyte solution for your chickens. © Homestead and Chill 2020 All rights reserved. Gently hold them, and dip into a large bucket of cool, fresh water. Make a muddy corner in their coop where they can stand to cool down. Chickens dissipate heat from their combs, beaks, and feet. Chickens can get heat stroke and die. Some of them love to stand in cool water on a hot day! Putting the water in a shady spot helps as well. We all know how much chickens like dirt! We are fortunate, and do not have regular hot weather where we live. Required fields are marked *. Hi Mr. or Mrs. Deanna Cat, If their shaded run area doesn’t have suitable ground material for dust bathing, create a dust bath! Wet the ground and provide standing, muddy water. On hot days, be sure your chickens have a place to dust bath in the shade. Chickens are unable to sweat, so sometimes they can use a little extra help keeping cool. If your coop is usually pretty buttoned-up for winter, are there any solid walls or doors that you could safely swap with wire fencing during the summer? Next, make sure the coop is well-ventilated. Also, avoid overcrowding – in both the coop and run space! I’m having a prob with my entire flock they are losing feathers like crazy have huge bald spots around their head and bottoms. Ventilate Their Coop. The measures you’ll need to take to ventilate and cool your coop depend on how much time your chickens spend inside, along with what the evening temperatures are like. Thank you for reading! Give Them Shade. Making Shade. I do the same with some of those giant cucumbers that I find hiding. This should be a factor when deciding where to place a new coop. Get A Mister. 5. This helps keep them cool. Worms bins are easy to maintain, divert waste from the landfill, and create “black gold” for your garden! Yup, if there’s no sign of mites or lice it could be a molt. This was definitely helpful. Learn more characteristics of the Top 18 Backyard Chicken breeds here, including comb and body type, egg production, demeanor, and more. Thank you for tuning in. Therefore, setting up a mister system is one effective way to help keep your chickens cool, and could be very worthwhile in places where regular hot days are common. They put off a lot of heat and moisture. Chickens aren’t adverse to a cheeky dip and in severely hot weather a keeper-assisted, shoulder-depth dunk will help cool ‘em down. Did you know that extreme heat is more dangerous for chickens than freezing cold conditions? That is just mean, and can be shocking in its own right. can they go out in the coop with a shady run. If you’re not able to get enough airflow with natural ventilation, consider creatin… Here are some tips that will help you keep your chickens cool even when it’s hot outside. Instead of ice, you could also throw some frozen treats in there – like frozen fruit or vegetables! Instead of a pool, another option to keep chickens feet cool is to create a muddle puddle area. It also gives your birds something to peck at and entertain themselves with. Organic Gardening | Real Food | Natural Health | Good Vibes. ... 7 Ways To Keep Your Chickens Cool During Summer . Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, such as Amazon links. As always, treats should only be fed in moderation – especially in hot conditions, as chickens are likely eating less in general. Cool your chicken coop with misters. Dismiss. A well ventilated coop is a necessity year round, but you’ll want even more ventilation when it’s hot. Some people recommend a small wading pool with a couple inches of water, but I’ve found my birds never walk through one on their own, but they’ll happily wade right into a bit of mud. Hey! they very kind and lay up to 200 eggs a year. When things start to heat up, monitor them and respond in your best judgement and ability. A cool spot to dust bathe helps your chickens regulate their body temperature. My hope is to inspire the love for a similar lifestyle or hobbies in others ~ by sharing real-life tips and tools to make “modern homesteading” activities easy, understandable, and enjoyable ~ so you can learn and dive in with me! The shop update is live, compl, Cheers to bountiful fall harvests, whole foods and, ✨ Just a pretty peek of the garden for you. Wallowing in dirt may sound like an uncomfortable pursuit to us humans, but that is how chickens keep themselves clean – and cool! Cooling the Coop. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new articles, and receive a FREE 20-page digital, printable garden planning toolkit. How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats in Houseplants, Organically! Summer Rabbit Care: How To Keep Your Rabbits Safe In The Heat. Shade is the most important thing for helping your birds stay cool. If a family with young kids did they may be more comfortable with being pet. Hi I am going to get chickens but i STILL don’t know which breed I want! Soil, mulch and sand all work for dust bathing areas. Thank you Deanna for the insightful information. i also have polish chickens who are very calm as well. I have noticed my girls breathing with their mouths open and had no idea it was a sign of over heating. In all, no one knows your flock better than you do! This is one of the most simple but crucial measures. I thought I would learn something new but I’m doing everything that was side already..the only thing I do different is..here it gets 114 alot so all use fans placed in the shade next to them. Many of these signs and symptoms sound pretty scary – but I don’t want you to worry! Perhaps they’ll be more excited about getting their feet wet in mud if they aren’t keen on a water pool. Any purchases made through affiliate links are greatly appreciated, as they enable me to continue to create and share with you! Keep the air flow moving, especially in the chickens coop it gets really hot and the air is still. Take advantage of the heat and clean your coop from top to bottom. The general rule is for you to provide 500 milliliters of fresh water per bird per day. I will only link to products I know and believe in! They’re relying on you, after all. Chickens die from summer heat if badly managed, and most coops do not have windows that can be opened. Keeping chickens cool during summer just got a little easier with our simple tips about coop ventilation, misters, nutrition, hydration, and more. Please try again. Add a sprinkle of lime, wood ash, or food-grade diatomaceous earth for added mite and lice control. Now offering Organic Sourdough Starter! The other thing to watch out for would be featherpicking. Spring is a great time to clean out aged deep litter in your coop. Put frozen water bottles around the coop and chicken run where hens hangout. There are a few things you can do before you rush off to work in the morning, although having a friend or neighbour pop around during the middle of the day as a precautionary check-up is a good idea on days of extreme temperatures. That also means we do not have misters, a kiddie pool, or other cooling methods readily available. Heavier chicken breeds may start to become overheated around 85°F. Thankfully, there are many simple ways that you can help keep your flock of chickens cool and safe during hot summer weather. Chickens don’t really like to stand in water, but when it’s hot, they will cool their feet in a muddy puddle. It mostly depends on who raised the chickens. Keeping Chickens Warm in the Winter Get the Right Chicken Breeds for your Climate. Rhode Island Red chickens are easy to care for, they will produce around 260 eggs per year.. I will be replacing daughters kiddie pool today, and freezing blocks of fruits and veggies. If you work with them they will get attached and follow you around and run to you at the sound of your voice. Kind of a chicken a/c unit ~ hanging frozen bottles of water. Ice Their Water. Hope this helps . Chickens natural way of keeping cool is to spread their feathers to let the heat escape. Also please feel free to spread the chicken love by sharing or pinning this article. Put frozen bottles of water near the nesting boxes Keeping the hen house cool. Just wanted to say your chicks are sooo cute and well taken care of. Put that dusty ‘ol thing to use and give your chooks a little poultry paddle in a shady spot. Provide a constant supply of cold fresh water. 1. 4) Freeze their Feed. Here’s a decently priced misting nozzle if you need an example of what to look for. You can also add a few pavers/stepping stones in the pool, to give them a place to stand and feel more stable while inside. Welcome to chickeneering in Florida! And even though here in Florida, our winters are mild, our birds still experience the effects of the shorter days. They certainly cope with heat better than rabbits do. When chickens consume frozen food (including frozen treats), having cold material in their crop actually lowers their body temperature from within! Our yard is shadeless. I don't think you need to do anything differently for a FL winter than you do in the summer, except that maybe you don't need to worry about keeping them cool as much as you do in the summer. Alternatively, you could use lawn sprinklers nearby, or simply spray down the ground with a hose on occasion. Water Baths. Chickens (generally) don’t live in air conditioned buildings, and it wouldn’t be healthy for them even if they did. Shade from trees and bushes will help them stay cooler than shade from buildings. Chickens Take Dust Baths (But It Looks Like a Frenzy!). You might have noticed this effect at the beach, where the sand is hot at the surface and much cooler below when you dig. So grateful I came across your page. For those triple digits days, I keep watermelon in the freezer or fridge. Visit our Shop menu for more details. As we explored in our “Keeping Chickens Warm in Winter” article, high-carb treats like dry cracked corn and scratch warm them up from the inside out as they work to digest them. Meaning, any surface area that isn’t covered in their built-in down jackets! The degree of heat stress depends on a number of factors, including the chicken’s living quarters, diet, and breed. Don’t swamp the whole thing of course! If your chickens are confined, you can make a great dust bath for them by filling a large shallow container with your chosen material. When the summer months come, the heat is on. 5. Check out the video of Miss Ginger below. they are the most gentle things ever. Add misters outside of the chicken coop that spray onto the roof or shade cover for evaporative cooling. Once they’re done, the evaporation from their wet feathers will also help keep them cool for a while. Consider adding a shallow pool of water where your chickens can stand. If possible, add large holes to the bottom of the container for drainage on rainy days. For example, if extreme heat is the norm and you always have a pool out during the summer, I bet the chickens take to it. This can be provided in many ways: i would not recomend getting brahma chickens. Be sure to keep any baby chicks high and dry as they struggle with water deeper than a few millimetres. I suggest this option if your chickens are showing clear and persistent signs of heat stress, and the other ways we’ve explored to cool chickens down are not working (or possible). Normally we just have a single 30 litre chicken drinker ... 2. i have lavender chickens. Chickens are actually descended from jungle fowl, so many of them can do quite well. Thankfully, keeping chickens cool in the summer is totally doable with only a few adjustments on your part. Gonna have a 4 day stretch of 97° this coming week. I st, The purpose of this post was going to be to highli, Let's talk frost! Good luck on finding some good chickens. Before her bath, she couldn’t even stand up. Not so great in 100 degree weather. ❄ New on Homestead and Chill ~, Citrus season is upon us, so here is your ann, Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, such as Amazon links. Doing our best as disabled individuals to provide it. Using a deep litter method produces heat as it breaks down, which is great in the winter. Any purchases made through affiliate links are, Backyard Chickens 101: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Top 18 Breeds of Chickens for Your Backyard Flock, Baby Chick Care 101: Brooders, Heat, Health & More, Chicken Health: Feeding Chickens Eggshells (or Oyster Shells) For Essential Calcium, How to Sprout Seeds for Healthy Chicken Treats, 10 Tips on Caring for Chickens in Cold Winter Weather, “Turmeric Latte” Golden Milk Recipe (Vegan Options), How to Grow Carrots Successfully: From Seed to Table. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a8d5f2c59d6f7c7082efab76383ed4fe" );document.getElementById("badc2debf7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Here on Farming My Backyard you can expect advice on simple living, urban homesteading, and living a more eco-friendly life. As it should be. In order to maintain optimal health, encourage your chickens to continue to eat their usual nutritionally-balance chicken feed. We don’t want to shock our chickens with frigid water, just cool them off a little. Even hotter right now. We do many of the above mentioned steps already, sometimes it doesn’t feel enough. Hi There! During hot conditions, keep the coop as clean and tidy as possible. In fact, your efforts could be life-saving. Freeze fruits, veggies, herbs, and/or meal worms in containers. Ply mouth rock (aka barred rock) and delaware are good layers! Keeping your chickens cool in extreme heat is vital to keeping them happy and healthy. I hope you’ll stick around for advice and inspiration on how to live more fully on less. It depends on the flock, and their opportunity to become accustomed to the idea. During the day I could open it to create a cross breeze and cool the coop down. On average, a mister can help reduce temperatures by 5-20 degrees! I may make a small commission from purchases made through some of those links, at no extra cost to you. We have many Midwest and Southern friends who say their chickens do just fine with temperatures in the 90s. Dirt might not be your thing, but birds don’t mind it! Standing with wings held out away from their body, Egg production may also decrease with prolonged heat exposure. We have a fan going already but I know it won’t be enough. Keep their waterers in a shady and readily accessible location (e.g. Thus, cut back or avoid scratch during extreme heat. Misters area great way to cool off your chicken run on hot days! Loads of great information! Or, you can make some modifications as needed. 3) The Right Cold Treats. If the water coming out of your hose is really cold, let the bucket of water sit out in the sun for a half hour or so to slightly warm. Adding moisture to the air or ground around the coop and run will lower the surrounding temperature. Unusual heat waves pose the most risk for heat stress in chickens. Set up a large crate, bring them into a cool basement, or designate a spare bathroom as a temporary chicken sanctuary to keep your friends safe. Create … Okay, this sounds a little extreme… and that is because it kind of is! That’s true, we do have one bantam who lets my five year old carry her around! i had 2. not inside the hot coop, especially if they aren’t hanging out in there during the day). Instead, chickens dissipate excess heat from their combs, wattles, beaks, and feet. Ensure that your chickens have a shady space to retreat on hot days. Interested in learning more about raising backyard chickens? Click here to see a video of our hot weather chicken coop. They’re set to open in a new window, so I’m not sure if that perhaps the disconnect – did you see them perhaps open in a different tab? Add ice cubes into their water. Keeping chickens cool is critical. The first and easiest thing you can do is to sort their water supply out. Here are some tips for helping your birds though the winter ahead. Subscribe for our newsletter and get the free email course Intro To Backyard Chickens as well as a free printable checklist to walk you through step by step! My name is Deanna, also known as DeannaCat. Sometimes our chickens might need a bit more cool relief than a light sprinkle - a quick dip in some soothing water is perfect for some extra hot chicks. First, make sure your birds have plenty of space. For full size birds, we recommend a minimum of 4 square feet per bird. They will also hold their wings away from their body to help air flow cool them down. On the hottest days, that may mean refreshing their water a few times per day. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, monitor your chickens behavior, and be prepared to respond accordingly. Won’t open! they will be 5 weeks tomorrow.