Chickens on very hot days

[Anastasia76]

Over the next week here in Australia it is going to be very hot each day. I was just wondering what advice i can get on how to keep the chickens cool. I'm a bit worried about them

 

[my sunwolf]

Lots of shade (of course). We always freeze plastic soda bottles and then leave them in the water bowls and around the run for the chickens to sleep against. You can also mist them with water from a spray bottle. Frozen treats from the freezer and cold treats from the fridge are a good idea as well (they LOVE watermelon chunks, frozen or just cold). Good luck

 

[sumi]

I used to live in an extremely hot part of South Africa and in Summer I often emptied watering cans full of water in the run for the chickens to cool their feet. I started doing this after I found them standing in their water bowl! They absolutely loved the muddy puddles in the run.

 

[nok13]

in israel sprinklers in the roofs of coops are used; we even used to spray downt the roofs of the goat barn, and also create puddles for making the dust stay down and cool off the surround
ing air; also the aviaries we also would mist the air and spray outside on the roofs...
we used to shower the emus who absolutely loved being showered and then loved splashing in the puddles; and almost every agricultual village here that has coops (battery style coops) have sprinklers which means that on very hot dry days, we have lots of those here, the whole village smells like wet chicken. to city people comign to the hotel here, it stinks, im used to it actually...

 

[Anastasia76]

Thank you every one

 

[Applet]

I am in Victoria, Australia, and I am worried about my flock over the next few days as well. They are predicting 40 degrees over the next few days...eek!

Mine are all free range and have access to lots of shade, but the younger (12 weeks) flock are a little bit silly and seem to flop about in the sun panting.

I have hosed down all their dust-bathing spots and put containers of water everywhere. When I get home from work I'll give everyone a light sprinkle with the hose (which they hate, but it does cool them down nicely.)

I noticed that the really big girls (Sussexes and Orpingtons) don't cope as well with the heat, whereas the Leghorns and even the Australorps seem to do OK.

 

[Anastasia76]

Hi Applet, Im in Colac, Victoria, so we are in the same boat. Mine are already panting and its 10am

I will give them a mist spray throughout the day as well.

 

[Applet]

Oh wow, I live just down the road from you near Winchelsea!

I am at work in a nice air-conditioned office, but I do worry about my hot girls at home. Might try to sneak home a bit early and give them all a bit of a hose.

 

[Anastasia76]

I just gave them a mist spray for 10 minutes, they happily came out and got under.

 

[BypassUrban]

It was in the mid 30's here today and our girls were all holding there wings out with the heat.,. they were a little chicken if you will excuse the pun when I sprinkled then with a mist from the hose, although it did help. I sprayed all the ground with the hose and there dust bathing moon craters, which they buried themselves in. I do like the idea of frozen bottles of water around the place for them.. today they also had some frozen, seedless grapes to peek at as well.

Wendy.B