Hot water and broody hens in the heat

[bt03]

The first problem I am having is hot water. We live at the very end of town and there is only one house past ours that has city water. The problem is that our water comes out luke-warm and kind of muggy. I am going through ice like no body's business and I was thinking of putting out misters but I am wondering if this would be counterproductive seeing as the water isn't very cool to begin with. Any suggestions beside draining my bank accounts buying ice for my chickens as to how to do something or why the water is so warn coming to my house?

The second problem I have is a broody hen. I have tried all of the tricks to get her to stop but she is a bantam breed that is determined she is going to make even a rock hatch. I finally gave her 2 eggs because I felt so bad about her trying to sit in the egg basket when I send my daughter to gather eggs then sitting on anything that could be mistaken for an egg (she even sat on dog poo!!!

) I have ice water for her but she doesn't come off the nest until the others are going to bed (I think she is scared they will take the eggs).

She is the most stubborn hen I have ever seen when it comes to hatching eggs and I'm afraid that this heat will kill her. Any suggestions on keeping her nest cool since it seems that she won't come off the eggs even though her life depends on it?

 

[BarredRock971]

I'm not sure what you can do about the water, other than keeping it in the shade. For the hen, you could put up a fan. Good luck!

 

[animalover]

Put ice cubes in the water. I put a frozen ice pack near my broody hen. Others have suggested freezing water bottles and laying them in the coop.

 

[Mrs. K]

Animals need water, lots of water when it is hot. I dont think the temperature is as critical as the amount. My water is warm by the end of the day, and they drink it exactly the same way they do when it is cooler.

I did bring my broody hens water in a cup while they were on the nest. Good grief, but I did that for me. Animals may not get off the nest on our schedule, but if water and food is available, they will meet their needs.

MrsK

 

[elmo]

I've been giving my chickens refrigerated water. I just fill up a couple of old plastic gallon water jugs and keep them in the little fridge we have out on our breezeway, and I fill up the chickens' waterers from these jugs and refill them with water from the hose.

When I had a broody in hot weather, I had her in a plastic lidded tote bin that I could move around to cooler spots during the day, including indoors at night.

 

[BoltonChicken]

Chickens don't care if the water is hot nor not. It just has to be wet to benefit them to the maximum. In west Texas misters seem to be helpful, but the best thing out in that area would be fans, water, dirt and shade.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Exactly right. For purposes of hydration the temperature of the water is unimportant as long as there's ready access to pleanty of clean water. The same is true of people but we're conditioned to think we need cold drinks when it's hot.

 

[bt03]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I have been going crazy with ice and all kinds of other cold things to keep them cool thinking that the warm water was doing them harm, when it has been doing me harm by making me run around like a chicken myself

So all I have to do is put a mister under our oak tree (which shade more than 1/2 of our yard) and a smaller fan in our nest boxes for the broody (broodies now

) And everyone should be fine

Whew! once again the great people of BYC have calmed my fast running mind

 

[southerndesert]

I live in AZ and it is HOT, in addition to our hanging nipple systems that get very warm at mid day we also have a large dishpan out in the shade and the large surface area will keep the water cool all day by evaporation even if warm when filled... We remove them after it cools down here in late fall and just use the hanging nipple system.