Hi there. I live in Phoenix and heat is certainly an issue here in summer. You can make large blocks of ice at home, cubes melt too fast. Put one out in a shallow pan in the morning, even if it melts it will be slow and provide cool water for sipping and standing in. I cut down a kiddie pool so my flock can step in and out and put the ice blocks in it. A fan is good, but it’s also very drying and if you’ve been in a warm breeze you know it’s like standing in front of a hair dryer. So it moves air but isn’t a huge help for cooling. If it’s not too humid a mister is helpful to cool the area. If you can put some at edge of the patio and run it the full length it may help cool the area considerably. When you get home give them some more ice. Put electrolytes in one waterer and regular in another, this helps my flock and I give it to them two or three days a week. Fermented food is a source of additional hydration and is good for them on occasion. Also,poke a few holes in the bottom of a kiddie pool, fill with some dirt for dust baths and wet it down. This gives them a cool spot to lay down for a bit and something cool to bathe in. My flock loves to bathe in damp soil. Since they’ll be on the patio deep shade should be good, but if the sun gets in during the hot part of the day you may want to provide some shade for that. Good luck!
