Tips to keep hens cool in extreme heat

[Hensintexas]

Update on hen with heat stroke:
Gertrude, hubby named her, is back with the flock, healthy, and laying eggs. We are still watching all of them closely.

 

[AnneHealy]

We put a swamp cooler in our coop. The chickens love it. Keeps it 10 degrees cooler.

 

[Stephine]

For a chicken that is panting heavily I cool them down quickly by putting them up to their belly in a tub of cool water (not cold, not icy!). Hold them there until they stop panting and then let them choose to stay or get out. It brings their temp down to normal and keeps them cool for a little while after. Usually I only have to do it once, and usually I only need to do it with the pullets - the older ones handle the heat better. (That’s in addition to misters and cool water and treats and shade….)

 

[Hensintexas]

Gertrude (my husband named her while sitting on the floor giving her drops of water when she was sick) has been back with the flock for a while. Poor little girl didn’t move for two days - I wasn’t sure she was going to live.
Paul refused to give up. He was constantly giving her special food, sticking her beak in it when she wouldn’t eat on her own. He literally fell in love with Gertrude.
She has fully recovered and is back to laying her lovely brown speckled eggs. And her best friend still gives her treats every day. And she looks for him.