Keeping chickens cool

[Pnunez9]

Hi! This will be our first Arizona heat with our chickens and I want to make sure they stay cool. What budget friendly hacks do you do to keep your chickens cool during the heat?

 

[nuthatched]

What part of arizona?

 

[StacyT]

I live in CA and the summers here can reach 120f. I lost a few to heat when I was 1st getting started. Now I change out there water a few times a day and I also add blue ice to keep it cool longer. I also soak the mud in shady areas so they have a place to get their feet wet and cool off. I also make a small water hole that they can wade into. Some people use a small kids pool but I could never get mine to use it so I dug a hole and fill it with water a couple times a day. You can try using misters as some have had luck with that but mine free range so not really an option. Any chicken that looks to be overheating I grab and dunk in cool water for a bit to cool them off.

 

[StacyT]

I also forgot to mention you can add fans to the coops to help keep it cool. Make sure it has plenty of ventilation.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

On the hot days the horse/livestock feed pans with 1” of cold water are a life saver! Chickens usually don’t like water, but when it’s 100+ they will all hop in and just stand in the cold water which helps lower their body temperature quickly. Make sure they have a shaded, breezy spot. I use the big industrial fans which really get the air circulating. Make sure they have lots of fresh cool water to drink. Having their coop in the shade is necessary if you live in a hot environment with excess ventilation. If you haven’t already 3 sided coops are awesome for hot areas. I used to have one, but where I live now it gets subzero so that’s not an option now lol

 

[Karlkurla Chooks]

Provide hoses on tap timers leading into buckets. The water will fill up the bucket and overflow on the ground. My chickens love playing in the puddles to cool themselves down. They also can drink the fresh cool water in the bucket (and often the puddle too).