How do you keep chickens water cold?

[KayChickMom29]

Is that water that hot? Cool/cold water actually heats up a body.

It probably got up to at least 70-75 on the hottest day

 

[RoyalChick]

I think shade is your best bet. If you can't have natural shade put a beach umbrella over the water barrel and some shade cloth to keep the pipes in the shade.
My chickens drink water of that sort of temperature when I leave a feed bowl out and it fills with rain and then the sun shines on it - so not sure it is a big problem - but they also have water in the shade so have a choice

 

[nuthatched]

It probably got up to at least 70-75 on the hottest day

That's fine, just add shade if possible.

 

[FrostRanger]

I live in a place where temps around 100 in summer are the norm, I don't ice their water ever. I just give them lots of water and keep it out of the sun, that is plenty good enough for them

 

[AGeese]

I am looking for tips and advice on how to keep my chick's water cold. I've got 5 10-week old chicks, and I use a rain barrel water system with PVC pipe and water cups running into my chicken coop- it's a small TSC coop if that makes any difference. Right now, I've just been buying bags of ice to put into the barrel, but that lasts all of 5 minutes.

I wouldn't use ice, that could be a shock to the chicks. Your temps don't sound like a big deal to me. The only thing I do is place water in the shade when I can.

 

[Mrs. K]

You just need enough water, not cold water. Too cold of water into a hot body can cause shock.. In the heat it is good to water the soil in their coop too, not making it muddy, but damp.

In hot weather the birds need a lot of shade. And be sure and check your shade set ups at all different times of the day. As the sun moves a shady run can become a bake house. Air movement also is important. But shade and enough water is the most important.

Mrs K

 

[Ryguy3684]

Is that water that hot? Cool/cold water actually heats up a body.

I'm curious why you say that. I haven't found anything to support that claim. It's fine if I'm wrong, in fact I welcome learning something new. I just don't like to spread bad info. When random people Google search how to keep chickens cool, this thread pops up, so I'd would be good to have the correct info.

Below is one of many studies that shows the benefits of cool/cold water for heat stressed chickens. Some breeds just can't tolorate heat waves. My Buff Orpingtons need all the help they can get when it's 100 degrees like today.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9951739/#:~:text=PMID: 36830366-,Cold Drinking Water Boosts the Cellular and,in Heat-Exposed Laying Hens

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't think it heats up the body, but it can cause shock. It won't always cause shock, but it can.

 

[aart]

My first summer with chooks I put out a shallow pan with ice cubes and water. One bird guzzled a bunch down and I swear she got an 'ice cream headache', she staggered around shaking her head and almost tipped over. It cleared after a few minutes, but I never did that again.

After that I just put out huge blocks of ice in a shallow pan, they'll wade and sip, some even will stand on the ice block for a moment. They cool themselves thru their feet.

Electrolytes also help. Had a hen go blind with the heat once. I dropper fed her electrolytes a bit at time over a few hours and she recovered. Now I give them a dose every 3 days during heat waves, it really helps(can help during severe cold too).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

 

[nuthatched]

I'm curious why you say that. I haven't found anything to support that claim. It's fine if I'm wrong, in fact I welcome learning something new. I just don't like to spread bad info. When random people Google search how to keep chickens cool, this thread pops up, so I'd would be good to have the correct info.

Below is one of many studies that shows the benefits of cool/cold water for heat stressed chickens. Some breeds just can't tolorate heat waves. My Buff Orpingtons need all the help they can get when it's 100 degrees like today.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9951739/#:~:text=PMID: 36830366-,Cold Drinking Water Boosts the Cellular and,in Heat-Exposed Laying Hens

It depends how cold someone is calling 'cold'. Cool water (cooler than ambien temperature is good, cold water is not.
Cold water can cause shock in poultry, also bodies do not like cold things, on ingestion of cold, the Digestive system starts directing blood flow to warm up the cold, often causing more heat than there was originally.