cooling off your chickens

[sayccrn]

I keep fruits like blueberries, strawberries, peaches and mangos in the freezer and give a couple bags every hot day! They LOVE it and it helps keep them cool!

They just started likely people fruits and veggies, still sparingly, so maybe next week, they will like a nice cold bag.

 

[sayccrn]

Leghorns are supposed to be heat hardy...

supposed to be, she's the only one that pants.

 

[Lilokieescorter]

I feed mine cold cottage cheese. They gobble it up like ice cream. It helps to cool them off.

Ohh frozen cottage cheese? I freeze fruit pieces in ice trays, or hange an apple ot cabbage from a string & they go nuts!

 

[Lilokieescorter]

I haven't tried watermelon yet. But I have corn, and they look at it like it's monster. I also heard corn is not good when it's hot, that it increases their temp? Not sure, just saying what I read somewhere.

Mine didn't like it when they were younger, but go after it now like a swarm of locust!

 

[IamRainey]

My chickens are just as happy with the rind of watermelon as they are with the tastier fruit. So my grandson gets the first whack at it.

 

[springvalley123]

My birds like ice cubes, especially the slivers of ice that come off the cubes. One of them even comes running to greet me when she sees the ice cube tray in my hands. The melting pile of ice cubes cools off the shaded area they hang out in, which is under a small deck next to my mfg home. (a cool breeze comes out of the ventilation in the home's skirting, better than my immature shade trees!)

 

[dikitty]

The first time we got the little wading pools for the chickens, they did not know what to do with them either. It took them about a day or so before they hung out in it. We have shade cloth covering part of the run, as well as have the coop up a bit (like 18 inches? 2ft??) off the ground and that's where the girls go in the heat of the day. I've given them partially defrosted berries (they REALLY love blueberries) and veggies. There's also a tree that covers up the run in the mornings. I've also iced their waters and we have a little fan going on in the coop. (It already has ventilation windows)

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hi there. More shade, if you don't have it make it; try a puddle of water, toss some ice in it or cut down a kiddie pool and make a puddle in that. Wading in cool water will help a lot. Cool, moist dirt to bathe in is nice too.

For treats try some watermelon and cucumbers. These have extra water in them. Also, add a packet of Save A Chick to a gallon of water, but make sure they also have plain water available. You can also wet their feed.

I
I cannot stress enough how much this member is so right in all these points. They will love the wet dirt so make it. That’s the easiest thing to do if you have to make some in a kiddie pool. As to their foods and trying them. Mine will eat anything they see me eat first. So if you want them to try something new try taking a small saucer or pie plate of it out to the coop with you or run where you can sit with them and let them see you eat a few bites of it. Mine will run over each other to let me hand feed them an entire whole cucumber. I can just whack the end of one right out of the garden or fridge and they will peck it clean gone with me holding it in under five minutes. I do it that way sometimes just to keep our bond strong. They will also eat a cucumber hanging on a string like they would an apple on a stick. I haven’t even introduced mine to apples yet. Mine are just 9 weeks old. They eat can corn that I get cold in the fridge for them like it’s ice cream to us. They eat carrots and carrot greens too like we would eat chocolate pie. They are great eaters. I’m sure if you try this trick they won’t be so skiddish about foods. It’s just a trust issue. When I have changed feeds over from one to another with mine from organic to medicated feed they had to get really hungry before they would start eating the new feed and I believe that was because Mama doesn’t eat the chicken feed for them but after about 12 hours when their crop empties of good laying protein they get ready to go to town. Good luck and I hope these tips help a lot. I am in your same boat because I am In Mississippi.

 

[sayccrn]

My chickens are just as happy with the rind of watermelon as they are with the tastier fruit. So my grandson gets the first whack at it.

I am doing both. watermelon was the first thing they liked, so I puree it and freeze them in icecube trays and they now go crazy for it. But I also freeze the rind and lay kale on it and they take the kale off and leave the rind alone. So, maybe that will be with time too.

 

[sayccrn]

I
I cannot stress enough how much this member is so right in all these points. They will love the wet dirt so make it. That’s the easiest thing to do if you have to make some in a kiddie pool. As to their foods and trying them. Mine will eat anything they see me eat first. So if you want them to try something new try taking a small saucer or pie plate of it out to the coop with you or run where you can sit with them and let them see you eat a few bites of it. Mine will run over each other to let me hand feed them an entire whole cucumber. I can just whack the end of one right out of the garden or fridge and they will peck it clean gone with me holding it in under five minutes. I do it that way sometimes just to keep our bond strong. They will also eat a cucumber hanging on a string like they would an apple on a stick. I haven’t even introduced mine to apples yet. Mine are just 9 weeks old. They eat can corn that I get cold in the fridge for them like it’s ice cream to us. They eat carrots and carrot greens too like we would eat chocolate pie. They are great eaters. I’m sure if you try this trick they won’t be so skiddish about foods. It’s just a trust issue. When I have changed feeds over from one to another with mine from organic to medicated feed they had to get really hungry before they would start eating the new feed and I believe that was because Mama doesn’t eat the chicken feed for them but after about 12 hours when their crop empties of good laying protein they get ready to go to town. Good luck and I hope these tips help a lot. I am in your same boat because I am In Mississippi.

Thanks so much. They are begining to eat people food, they come running when they hear or see me, but when I reach in to them they scatter like I'm the hand of death! I am seriously considering ordering the enclosure now and just charging it. I cannot sit with them in their tractor and I would love to drag my chhair in there and feed them and I know the little ones will want to perch on me. The one has anxiety and the first couple of nights after I transfered her to the big girl coop, she wouldn't stop crying til I stuck my head in and then she flew to me and snuggled in the crook of my elbow. every time I put her down, she'd fly back whining until her two sisters came up and then she was ok. Cutest thing ever. So, I know if I get them the enclosure they will come and sit with me for cuddles. Not so much the leghorn and the RIB, but the newer chicks.