Do I need to teach my chickens to keep themselves cool?

EMMomma

Songster
May 31, 2020
58
65
101
Charlotte, NC
I had my 7 week olds in their run today while I was in it working on putting up the aviary netting. They are not outside full time yet. They take field trips.
Anyway, it’s 91 degrees today, but feels like 99 because of the humidity. Field trip got cut short because they don’t seem to know how to cool themselves down. They just laid in the sun panting. There was plenty of shade they could have gone to. It rained last night, so plenty of damp ground they could have spread out in, in the shade. No moves towards their water.... I don’t want house chickens, but I’m worried that they’re not going to figure out how to cool themselves down.
I bought a mister to set up for them when they go outside full time, but now I’m wondering if they’ll even be smart enough to take advantage of it...
Does anyone have any ideas or reassurance for me?
 
I'm in a similar boat. Trying to get our chickens to keep cool and minimize wing-lifting and panting. They have plenty of shade and I usually have plenty of water in multiple locations for them to drink. I've even started taking the lid to a big plastic container and filling it with water (long, wide, and shallow) that I see all of them drink from, but only one seems to cool off by wading in it. I might have to physically put them in it. Just trying to help them, but they seem to prefer to be hot
 
I'm in a similar boat. Trying to get our chickens to keep cool and minimize wing-lifting and panting. They have plenty of shade and I usually have plenty of water in multiple locations for them to drink. I've even started taking the lid to a big plastic container and filling it with water (long, wide, and shallow) that I see all of them drink from, but only one seems to cool off by wading in it. I might have to physically put them in it. Just trying to help them, but they seem to prefer to be hot
🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s crazy. I guess we’ll try again tomorrow. I will set up the mister this time, and we’ll see if they can figure it out.
 
The only thing I had to do was put then on the ice that I set out for them once. After that they understood it will cool them down. Mine have always stayed in the shade during the day though.
 

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