Caring for Chickens in Summer: Tips for a Happy and Healthy Flock

Great & informative article! We are in Florida; I fill 2 large plastic bowls with water then freeze solid. I put both in the girls' 5 gallon water bucket in the am, keeps their water nice & cool On extremely hot days I may replace the ice again in the afternoon if it has melted or becomes warm. Thanks for the summer hints!

Very helpful. Thanks. It has been brutal here for almost a month. These tips were helpful and also inspired me to think of some things I could be doing like window screens and I have empty plastic coffee cans full of water I spread all around my property. I put them in shady spots and they stay cool for most of the day.

Thanks, lots of good ideas I can try here in Australia, particularly in the weeks when every day is 100F+. I have installed an old single wooden bed in my coop, and then laid old wooden sleepers (about 4" thick) crossways across it, giving the girls a 6' x 6' space to cluster under when it gets really hot. I water the area down in the morning, so the soil is really damp, and the sleepers give really good protection from the sun. I also find that my girls hate being misted or sprayed with water, but are happy to stand out in the rain and get soaking wet - strange ways of chickens!

Great information! I actually offer foot spas for my girls in the heat

Frozen fruits (not the packaged "cups" with 30g added sugar) are great if for some STRANGE REASON your birds don't like watermelon slices from the fridge. Maybe they just got tired of me giving it to them after the first week of watermelon.

We tried a ryobi mister/fan, but they didn't seem to care and the battery would run out long before the day was over and the fan wasn't very powerful even if you got extra batteries. Probably don't need a tornado fan, but it sure does feel good. Just remember it's a solid 10 degrees cooler in full shade than in full sun, so 90F will feel like 80F and won't be so bad. We also have chicken cameras so we can check on them anytime and go out and tend to them every day.

Definitely watch out if anyones going broody and staying in the coop or even possibly eatting eggs. Even if the coop has windows, I sure wouldn't want to be sitting in there all day.

Sometimes their combs might fall over, but this can be a way for the hen to stay cool rather than being in distress. Look out for the wide wings and panting.

If your bird is struggling, rapid temperature changes can actually make them sicker and inhibit the immune system. I actually found out from a Kentucky derby horse trainer that horses get so sick they die when their barns have a/c. I personally wouldn't dump a chick in an ice bath, but some people do in an emergency. Some people even advice not putting a bunch of ice in the water for the same reason. I'm not sure about hosing them down because their feathers are water-resistant. The best thing you can do is to not get chickens that will struggle in your climate (hot or cold), and then work on the coop placement/accessories.

Great information for this newby. We are expecting temperatures within the next week to be 90 degrees plus. I needed this information, well done. We also have Sussex/Brahma cross . Heat and cold tolerant. We are in Montana.

This was very helpful. I like to hose down my coop with a fine spray. I also give my chickens Ice water twice a day, and I make "ice cakes" with fruits and vegetables for their treats.

We have a week long heat wave with temp above 90. The first day I did the things you say but missed doing the same the second day (misting, cooking treats, ice bath to stand on etc) and one of the young one year old died of heat stroke ! I was away and saw it later recorded in a camera collapsing. This one wasn't having water as much as others were.

Great article! Thank you! I’m a new chicken lady so have been providing frozen watermelon and ice in the water — also installed a little fan — but hadn’t heard of misting the chickens and providing cold water bottles for them to lean against. Now I will do these things, too! Has anyone had any luck with wading pools? I have a ceramic dish that I’ve been filling with 1/2 inch water and a couple of ice cubes; my little roo seems to enjoy standing in it. And sometimes gracing it with his poop, of course…

Thank you for this. I actually have most of these options available to my chickens but I may have to invest in a mist attachment or portable sprinkler I can put together. I’ve sprayed mine with water, not directly more like in the air and let it fall down like rain on them. Despite my efforts I can’t get them to stop from having their beaks open. Should I still be concerned?

Well written helpful article

Good information. I learn something new all the time.

Very timely and wonderful detail. I didn't know I could just mist (gently spray) my chickens, and didn't know that I should avoid spraying their heads to avoid breathing problems. Very helpful and good tips! I enjoyed the photos, but I have to say they weren't particularly illustrative of the text in the article, just nice eye candy. I can't complain, but consider adding a photo of some of the tips you provide!

I live in Florida so I water the ground so that it makes puddles and then they go play in the puddles and it helps cool them off

We are experiencing a drastic (in my opinion) reduction in eggs (like from 19/day to 1, 2 or 3 and this may be the answer to the dilemma.

It was concise, easy to understand and will be even easier to implement.

Great article. To improve it, one could add pictures or videos of chickens exhibiting signs of heat distress.

Ventilation is a must.
Good tips.