Keeping Chickens Cool In a Heat Wave

[ILoveDaffy]

Happy to help!

 

[Bear1978]

EL and ice blocks get us thru it here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hot-weather-spiel.75893/

You beat me too it! Lol!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hi, everyone! I hope this is in the right forum. Over here in Washington, we're expecting a heatwave 90+ degrees Fahrenheit this weekend. My chickens aren't used to heat like that. Usually for them, when it hits 70 degrees Fahrenheit, they start panting. I know chickens are pretty good at adjusting, but I'm pretty worried about how they'll be able to handle this heat. Does anyone have some tips on keeping them nice and cool? Their run and coop are situated under two massive cedars, so I think they'll get a good amount of shade. I'm also planning on putting ice in their water and refilling it often...but do you have any other suggestions? Also, would it be better to free-range them during the heatwave so they can find their own places to stay cool? Thanks!

Hello. I live in the Deep South. Mississippi is our home and it has been one of the worst summers on record for us with both rain and heat. My chicks actually are some cold tolerant breeds but have done exceptionally well. They don’t nexcessarily like it but I will mist them with the mist setting on the hose if I see them panting or flapping their wings to extreme. That only happened one day when the temp was 106 and the heat index was 113. We had three weeks of temps in the afternoon with avg heat indices of 105 or greater daily. I put a big 3inx 20in Metal Pan in their run with water and some ice not a lot of it just cool water to make them a kiddie pool so they could step in and cool their feet and legs off. That helps a great deal. I also spray down portions of their run so they can dig into the soft dirt and get a cool spot to lay down and nap or take dust baths. You need to also be sure they have a regular dust bath setup for them to rid themselves of any parasites or rid themselves of dead skin cells etc when it’s hot especially. I keep an area ready for mine all the time in an old bird bath basin filled with dirt, diatomaceous earth, and some PDZ sprinkled in just a small amount, and some potting mixture compost and sometimes I throw in some fresh shavings from their coop bedding material to keep it interesting for them. I also feed them cold treats at least once a day. I feed them cold sweet peas, chilled lettuce leaves, cucumbers, chopped apple, carrot tops, cold canned corn, yogurt, and before bed if it’s still really hot in the coop we go bobbing for peas in the cold pan of water that I told you about as the kiddie pool except I throw all that dirty water out and put fresh save-a chick electrolyte water in it and the frozen thawed out peas. Then we go bobbing for sweet peas in the electrolyte water before bed. That way I know they have taken in enough cold fluids and cold food to keep them satisfied and bring their internal body temps down which is a great deal more helpful before closing them in a decently cool but hot coop. Our coop is well ventilated and better than most with two windows and lost of vents up top. Our heat is just so bad. Our coop is just made very secure because we have so many different types of predators from mammals, reptiles, birds, and humans.

 

[bluecattlemutt]

I always see this meme on Pinterest when talking about heat waves.View attachment 2296945View attachment 2296945

 

[CheerioTheBuffRooster]

Thank you! I am a little concerned about my chicken breeds, (Such as my Wyandotte, Australorp, and Buff Orpington )

We have Australorps and Buff Orpingtons as well, and I've read that they are cold hardy but a bit irritable in the heat...I just make sure they have cold water and shade and they seem pretty happy

 

[Erikdaviking]

In hot weather I’ll empty a can of corn in a Tupperware and freeze it, they live it. It’s like a corn popsicle.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

The temps are pretty high around here... I give my girls frozen veggies and fruit, put ice in their water, along with apple cider vinegar, which they weirdly love, sometimes spray down part of the run so they can dust-bathe, and make mash with cold water.

 

[Dragonwolfmastr]

Mine dig down to make dirt "nests" during the early afternoons, which I can imagine is a bit cooler than the surface. If you have free ranging options with some natural shade, there's a good chance they'll find good spots to nestle in during the worst of it! My weather app says a high of 115 in Northern CA for Wed(!) - it's a higher estimate than other sites of checked, though, so I'm hoping it won't be that bad... This west coast heat wave is no joke!

Those are dust baths! They roll around in them, putting the dust on their feathers, to keep cool and clean (ironic, right?).
I hope you see this despite the fact it is very late

 

[Chickenandcomics]

Our chickens like sitting under the tree with the small stream in ouR backyard in the Mud to beat the heat. Columbian Wyndottes around 5 months old.

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

I cut the ends of an unshucked corn cobb & then I peel a few outer layers. Throw that in the freezer & its a good treat to cool them off. They can pick a cobb clean. If you don’t have access to fresh corn, I have used those half cobbs u get in the freezer section with success. The frozen fruit is a winner too. You can also refrigerate their water & change it out a few times a day. I also throw a tarp up on the side of the run that gets max sun. Provides nice shade. I think it looks tacky but DH says it’s not a proper coop until it looks like an abandoned building. (He’s just kidding of course...I think lol)