Best ways to keep your chickens cool during the summer?

Ballerina Bird said:

I wish I could get my hens to go in the water! It would be so cute.

I actually bought them a wading pool to give it a try, but they were just terrified of it. How did you acclimate yours to it? Or did she take to it right away?

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You can put in pavers or bricks, so that they only have to step in less than an inch of water. But overall the water is several inches deep, which prevents it from heating up too fast.
A hot water heater tray or cement mixing tub are good options as the tub.
Somehow the pavers/bricks help keep the water cooler, too.

Mine won't step on the pavers yet, but I hope they will soon. They love drinking from it, though, silly things.

Blooie, I have that mister, too! I even like sitting near it, lol.

lynnehd said:

You can put in pavers or bricks, so that they only have to step in less than an inch of water. But overall the water is several inches deep, which prevents it from heating up too fast.
A hot water heater tray or cement mixing tub are good options as the tub.
Somehow the pavers/bricks help keep the water cooler, too.

Mine won't step on the pavers yet, but I hope they will soon. They love drinking from it, though, silly things.

Blooie, I have that mister, too! I even like sitting near it, lol.

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Thanks; that is a really good idea. I will give it a try. Today they are acting like the watermelon rinds I gave them will explode if they get too near them. Sigh.

Blooie, LOL re the chicken shower!

Mine have a fan and hubby rigged up a hook in front of it where I can hang plastic milk jugs that I fill with water and freeze. His co-worker keeps chickens also and suggested the milk jug thing. At first I thought it was nuts, but it really does work to lower the temp in their mini-barn.

Ballerina Bird said:

I wish I could get my hens to go in the water! It would be so cute.   I actually bought them a wading pool to give it a try, but they were just terrified of it. How did you acclimate yours to it? Or did she take to it right away?

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Ballerina, the turkey hen in question really is a strange bird, and I found out by accident. I started to notice that the same hen (I only have two) would run under the hose every time I used it. And that's not the strange thing. The first time I saw her get down in the mud and roll, I couldn't believe what I had seen

pennyacres said:

Ballerina, the turkey hen in question really is a strange bird, and I found out by accident. I started to notice that the same hen (I only have two) would run under the hose every time I used it. And that's not the strange thing. The first time I saw her get down in the mud and roll, I couldn't believe what I had seen

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LOL! Hilarious; love the image of her running under the hose. The things that I didn't know about birds before I got chickens could fill several books at this point.