Though the blistering heat has finally moved out of the UP, it was pretty brutal! Now nice and in the 70s, woot!
Anyhoo, shade is a MUST! I would quarter a whole watermelon and then freeze it. The girls got a quarter at least once a day. On the day that the head index was 121 degrees, they definitely got two. I consider it ice cream for chooks, and they loved it. I also would freeze water bottles, pop cans filled with water, etc. and pop those into the waterer. Never with a cap if it was a bottle, so as they melted, the cold water could flow into the waterer. I made use of my automatic icemaker for the girls, too, to help cool things off. Since I live in a place with a high water table and plenty of water, I also ran the hose on a trickle to give them a cool puddle to chill their toes or flop into, and the cold well water was definitely popular! My coop is too far out to run a fan into, so no fans for my girls.
Frozen watermelon isn't the only cooling treat you can give them. I decided if they like to eat it and it can be frozen, then it shall be! Frozen oatmeal with yogurt, frozen other fruits, frozen crumbled mixed w/water. Anything to keep their beaks cool as they ate.
