is wetting chickens an OK way of keeping them cool.

[bird bites my feet 4 fun]

I have a young rooster who i think has heatstroke, its very hot in nz right now and if seen chickens be overheated before. I wanted to know if wetting his feathers and putting him in front of a fan is ok for him to cool him down, he seems to enjoy it along with standing on his ice pack (he is a tiny bantam)

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have a young rooster who i think has heatstroke, its very hot in nz right now and if seen chickens be overheated before. I wanted to know if wetting his feathers and putting him in front of a fan is ok for him to cool him down, he seems to enjoy it along with standing on his ice pack (he is a tiny bantam)

You can. I've dunked them up to their neck when they are showing signs of heat stress. But there are easier ways.

• Give wading ponds (shallow pans) with cold or ice water for them to walk in
• Fans (like you mention)
• Misters, if it's a dry heat
• Cold treats, like watermelon frozen fruit
• Lots of water containers to encourage drinking more
• Electrolytes in their water
• Deep shade they can relax in

My chickens LOVE a sprinkler head on very low. I mean LOVE it.

How hot? I'm curious, being in the US.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I would not wet them. Their downy feathers beneath their normal feathers needs to be dry in order to help regulate temperature/keep them cool. Once i had a hen who seemed to have heatstroke, so i brought her in, gave her water and put a fan on her. She recovered quickly.

They dry quick enough in a dry heat. It's saved my girls more than once, but I only do it when they're in dire straits. But I agree - it's not necessary if you have other means.

My coop now has A/C.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

They dry quick enough in a dry heat. It's saved my girls more than once, but I only do it when they're in dire straits. But I agree - it's not necessary if you have other means.

My coop now has A/C.

Can I be one of your chickens? I'd love A/C

 

[room onthebroom]

Chickens don’t like to be wet. Maybe a shallow pan of water for him to keep his feet cool would be nice, or you could install misters.

If you feel you absolutely have to give him a little dip in water make sure that;

-The water is room temperature that has been sitting outside in a bucket for a while & has acclimated to the heat. Water coming out of a hose or tap is colder than you think it is & the temperature shock could be life threatening.

-Don’t get his head wet.

-Don’t do it before he goes to bed.

-Consider not doing it at all. (See bellow)

Try to give him more natural ways to cool off like lots of shade, a cool dirt hole in the shade, cool snacks like watermelon or chilled, chopped up grapes, or frozen peas.

Make sure he has extra waterers & that you refresh them multiple times during the day. Keep your eye on the sun & move waterers & snacks to shady areas as the sun movies.

It gets extremely hot here during Southern California summers & misters are a life saver without getting the birds soaking wet or straining your water bill. Good luck!

 

[Aapomp831]

You should not - you’ll put the chicken into shock. Instead just dip their feet in cool water and wet their combs with cool water. Offer frozen corn or peas. But I would advise against dipping a hot chicken in cold water.

 

[MissMonty]

So I just wanted to speak on heat stroke in general. Its really a bad idea to use cold water and get them wet when they're at risk of a heat stroke. It can actually make matters worst. Now I'm not saying chickens can't get wet but if you're to the point of risk of heat stroke thats when its a bad idea.

The way a chicken regulates its temp is by using its feathers. They're designed to keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer depending on how they fluff them up. When you get them fully wet (not just a mist) then you're stopping them from being able to do this process. So when the chicken is already struggling to regulate temp you're making it that much harder. Plus in some cases it can actually cause heat to be trapped in if you really soaked the bird which adding heat to a animal at risk of heat stroke isn't a good idea either.

I'd look into making sure the chickens have ample access to shade and I'd add lots of air flow to the coop to keep it from getting too hot inside. If it is really hot it may be a good idea (if its safe) to leave the coop door open so they aren't stuck in a hot box. The shade is the biggest thing, then encouraging lots of drinking and giving cold things will help. Something I like to do is put a little corn or berries in a dog water bowl with cool water. They'll peck at them thus getting cold food and getting some water in the process. You can also hose off logs and such they may stand on a lot that way it'll give them a place to cool their feets. Fans are a great idea if you can safely run them. Misting is another option if you have the capability but again you don't want to soak the birds.

 

[Allthefloofs]

We have A/C too, We have a huge evaporative cooler that blows into our run, and another smaller one to add for very hot days. We get up to 120F here though and usually have runs of 115-118 for weeks at a time in the summer. It works well for dry heat.

 

[Lori J]

I have a young rooster who i think has heatstroke, its very hot in nz right now and if seen chickens be overheated before. I wanted to know if wetting his feathers and putting him in front of a fan is ok for him to cool him down, he seems to enjoy it along with standing on his ice pack (he is a tiny bantam)

I would not wet them. Their downy feathers beneath their normal feathers needs to be dry in order to help regulate temperature/keep them cool. Once i had a hen who seemed to have heatstroke, so i brought her in, gave her water and put a fan on her. She recovered quickly.

 

[room onthebroom]

Mine also love a hose in the shade left on a tiny trickle.