my poor hens are sooo hot... help with tips to keep them cool..

[Amethyste]

I chop up grapes and berries, and freeze them for my girls. I also give them lots of cool fruits and green veggies with high liquids inside...ie apples, cucumbers, melons etc...usually refrigerated so they are cool. I give them cold yogurt mixed with their feed as a treat.

I also have a kiddie pool I put in the shady part of the run for them to soak their feets in...some are terrified of it but most are happy to go and have a sit down in the cool water, or dabble their toes in it.

I do add ice to their drinking water to keep it cool for them, and when it is REALLY bad <which isn't often thank goodness> I freeze pop bottles of water and set them around the run. They tend to stay inside the coop when its hot cos its cooler inside, or in the shady parts of the run.

We rarely have heat waves here, but we did have several days a few years back where it was 107F

I ended up putting the little hose sprinkler on to dampen and cool the ground in the run and mist over the girls if they wanted to go under the spray. I was surprised how many of them loved it and would dive under the spray as it hit that part of the run. I was so worried their feets would burn!!!

 

[centrarchid]

Mine free range and confined birds tend not to eat as much when it gets really hot. They seem to restrict most feeding activity to early morning and just before dusk. Feed is made available at those times. When able, they find a combination of shade, light breeze and cool ground. They like larger amounts of water but I am not confident adding electrolytes is adventagous as they do not sweat like us which might cause increased loss of salts.

 

[Hunterlauren93]

I get my neighbors to give me their scrap fruits and veggies. Freeze them. I also put ice in the water holder. I try to 3-4 times a day. they like to "bob" for ice and berries as well its kinda funny. im going to get them a kiddie pool put some ice water rocks and fruits in there they like water. They all act like ducks its too cute. but they go ape for watermellon. i make them oatmeal and put frozen strawberries and some mealworms in there. They go crazy. Its also how i get them to get back in the run when its time for them to go back in

 

[chicken_crazy93]

It's between 90-98 degrees here & i've found that frozen peas are helpin cool my birds down durin the day. I go to each breed pen & throw a handfull in around 2:00pm daily. I've noticed they aint holdin their wings out as much now. I'm also goin this week & get one of those Kiddee pools. My buddy has two of em & his birds stand in them alot durin the day. He's got about 4" of water in em & it seems to work pretty good. I'll use the pool for my 30+ yard birds & the frozen peas for my breed stock in pens. You can get 10 bags for $10.00 at the Food City & I use a bag a day. Good luck to everybody in this heat & be carefull out there.

 

[dbounds10]

Shade, fans, frozen fruit and veg, a kiddie pool with frozen jugs of water in it, misters, sprinklers, and today we put in a window unit.

 

[Kaelinstorm]

I gave mine watermelon. I froze it first so they could lean around it until it thawed and then the next morning it was GONE. Just an empty shell. Seemed to make most of them but my Cornish X happy. The heat got her yesterday when the index hit 113. Poor girl. But I knew it was coming with all her excess weight. Never again will I buy one! Ever!

But I digress... the watermelon is a lovely idea