Any tips for this weeks extreme heat??

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

As you can see, this week is going to be HOT where I am (North Idaho)... I want to make sure my girls stay as cool as possible, and most importantly, as healthy as possible during this heat flash. I have 9 hens, and their run has lots of shade, but their water keeps heating up from the sun! I keep it in the shade, but that doesn't help too much... Any tips on how I can keep my girls happy this week? I have a potable sprinkler that I will put in their run every so often to keep it a little cooler.
Again, any tips or tricks is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you in advance!!

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, one has to worry more about wet, not hot or cold with water. Most animals will drink warm water, and warm water does not shock their system like cold water can. So if it is not too hot - light colored containers reflect heat, as long as they have enough water, they should be good. The more water provided, the slower it heats up during the day.

Shade moves, beware especially about 4:00 which tends to be the hottest part of the day. Damp soil is cooling, but not too wet.

Do not be surprised, if the eggs slack off a bit in heat.

Such a strange summer for us, last week above 100, this week in the 70's.

Mrs K

 

[SnackMeat]

We found frozen slices of watermelon helped a lot in the afternoons. I also put out trays of water, that I tried to put in the shade (or where shade would be during the hottest part of the day.) chickens will walk through and cool their feet off.


You can freeze bowls of water and put them in the water tank or on a tray for it to melt. I also freeze discs of electrolyte water and out in a garden tray.


Someone wrote about digging a ditch, filling with reusable ice bags and then layering with straw. Their chickens started to try to bath in the ditch, realized it was cold down there and then supposedly spent a good couple of hours all in a line enjoying having cold feet and bottoms.


We have set up shade sails, and have an open workshop they can go in and out of. Sometimes we'll spray down the concrete (I've also read spraying down terracotta flat plates for plant pots can also have an evaporative cooling effect. But we also leave a fan on and find there's several that will nap in front of the fan. Maybe you can run an extension cord and have a fan just outside their run?