Official BYC Poll: How Do You Keep Your Chickens Cool In Summer?

[Snooky doodle]

Trays with ice and frozen veggies around the run always do the trick for mine. If it gets in the upper 90s I will sometimes mist them with the hose (pro tip - hide so that they can't see you doing it or they'll hold a grudge. Extra pro-tip - you hide, but do it when they can see someone else and they'll take it out on them). I also free range all day in the heat, they're better at knowing what they need than I am.

I am always WAY more concerned about my rabbitry in the heat than my chickens. They're tough girlies.

If my birdies are really good I'll give em a bit of vanilla ice cream...

 

[Auntiejessi3]

This will be my first summer with my ladies, but so far they have a lot of shade, well ventilated coop with an exhaust fan, and I purchased a small cat gravity waterer that I plan on filling with electrolyte water and freezing so they have a steady cold supply. I also have a few frozen water bottles in the freezer to put in their regular waterer. We're buying a new house so I'm sneaking in a few upgrades for the new coop location(bushes and what not)

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Coop has fans but also is insulated so it stays cooler than the sheds with no insulation.

Plenty of fresh water in the coop because I noticed if water is outside it gets nasty from getting dirt kicked in and/or just turns green & slimy from being out. The waterers elevated on 6 inch landscape block stay clean and slime free inside.

Their runs always have a bit of sun, and a lot of shade & shelter no matter what the season.

Their dust bath areas are in shade. 1 dust bath area is dug very deep and they love that one when it's hot.

I have offered occasional frozen peas or corn at times, hang a cabbage head from the refrigerator, blueberries or strawberries from the fridge at times, they enjoy very much.

We just had 6 weeks of no rain & a very hot July like weather weekend in May, so most grass on my 2 acres is "crunchy when you walk" dead, only 2 small areas in the chicken pens still have grass! The greens I had growing up through wire for them to peck at has died, too. That's a negative abt hot weather, but it is what it is, gotta deal with it. As long as my flock is happy, we're OK

What is that? Like a bird cage, I want one, lol

 

[LizzzyJo]

If my birdies are really good I'll give em a bit of vanilla ice cream...

I don't know why, but this sounds very creepy coming from someone named 'Dirty Phil'

 

[Liz Birdlover]

What is that? Like a bird cage, I want one, lol

Are you talking about this? It is called a Pet Gazebo, basically metal panels you assemble, with a tarp top. A lot of people use them for various pets when they travel, I've seen many with motor homes that are camped, you can even join 2 to make them bigger. I got a few because my very 1st chickens were a surprise gift, so as we built a coop & predator proof pens, the Pet Gazebo was my little portable "tractor" to allow my sweet chicks the ability to enjoy grass, foraging for bugs, etc. safe from neighbor's roaming cats while we were outside near them & working on the coop. There are various styles, square or the octagon & different sizes. I got the 5 foot octogon because I sometimes hung out in there with them, it provides awesome shade. You can get them through some retailers or Amazon. Sometimes my Roos jump on top & crow like a living weather vane, too funny, very fortunate none have poked holes through the tarp tops. The original tops that came with them were white on one side for summer & dark brown on the other for winter but they didn't hold up well, I bought these, upgrading, cost more but worth it. If someone can sew they could get Sunbrella fabric and make their own new ones, get some grommets, etc. It is often very windy where I live, so covering the pens with large tarps didn't work. Another option would be build something like a horse run-in, on a small dog house size scale, but with the cost of lumber these days, plus the weight & portability aspect, these worked best for me. I can move the entire thing using the thick perches, just go inside, lift, & walk it across the yard all by myself...another reason I got the 5 foot, as the shorter one would be very difficult to move all hunched over like that. These Gazebos aren't cheap but I've had them since 2015 & they still look as good as the day I got them, even being outside year round, 100 degree days or snowy winters. The chickens love them!
https://advantekpet.com/pet-gazebo/

 

[Snooky doodle]

I don't know why, but this sounds very creepy coming from someone named 'Dirty Phil'

They don't call me that cause I'm creepy, but that's a long story for another forum! My chickens do go nuts over vanilla ice cream! I give it to them once in a while as a special treat cause they like it so much!!

 

[Chickensandhorsesforlife]

frozen corn and a kiddie pool do the trick

 

[Chuckie chicken]

Are you talking about this? It is called a Pet Gazebo, basically metal panels you assemble, with a tarp top. A lot of people use them for various pets when they travel, I've seen many with motor homes that are camped, you can even join 2 to make them bigger. I got a few because my very 1st chickens were a surprise gift, so as we built a coop & predator proof pens, the Pet Gazebo was my little portable "tractor" to allow my sweet chicks the ability to enjoy grass, foraging for bugs, etc. safe from neighbor's roaming cats while we were outside near them & working on the coop. There are various styles, square or the octagon & different sizes. I got the 5 foot octogon because I sometimes hung out in there with them, it provides awesome shade. You can get them through some retailers or Amazon. Sometimes my Roos jump on top & crow like a living weather vane, too funny, very fortunate none have poked holes through the tarp tops. The original tops that came with them were white on one side for summer & dark brown on the other for winter but they didn't hold up well, I bought these, upgrading, cost more but worth it. If someone can sew they could get Sunbrella fabric and make their own new ones, get some grommets, etc. It is often very windy where I live, so covering the pens with large tarps didn't work. Another option would be build something like a horse run-in, on a small dog house size scale, but with the cost of lumber these days, plus the weight & portability aspect, these worked best for me. I can move the entire thing using the thick perches, just go inside, lift, & walk it across the yard all by myself...another reason I got the 5 foot, as the shorter one would be very difficult to move all hunched over like that. These Gazebos aren't cheap but I've had them since 2015 & they still look as good as the day I got them, even being outside year round, 100 degree days or snowy winters. The chickens love them!
https://advantekpet.com/pet-gazebo/

What a phenomenal set up!

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Ours have three water containers. I just relocated one near the coop to under the tree that doesn't get sun. They get a wading pool from one of their water containers. Hens gets fruit and I water down the clay dirt where they have their dirt bath's at in the run. They also made two more areas in the run. They don't like it when I spray water into the run and they get wet but I do water it down just enough. Here during the summer we usually have water restriction during the summer but it's nothing to do with our chickens. I give them black oil sunflower seeds all year long. Depending the time of day the girls and roos either stay towards the back of the run or the front. Just depends of the sun. Mornings, afternoons sun is in the back and later in the afternoon the sun is in the front and end of the run.

 

[Ascholten]

Garden hose works wonders, make sure the water is cool i it first so you are not spraying them with instant soup temp water. Washing machine also works, just keep the spin cycle to low otherwise they wobble and walk in circles afterwards. Pull them out and hang them by their feet from a clothesline for about 12 minutes, they are quiet dry and behaving the calm quiet way god intended a chicken to behave If you get one of those plastic garden hawks they sell at the big box stores, you can show them that and they will flap their wings a bit, which helps facilitate their drying AND gives you a cool humid breeze as well. Kind of like they are thanking you for the shower!! Bless their little hearts While they are singing for the hawk, you can hear if any of them are hoarse, and in need of a slight gargle with listerine to clean up whatever issues got them going. Once you are done, they will run right into their coop and goto sleep for the night, exhausted from the day's fun!!

Aaron

But seriously, sometimes when I am watering they will want to get under the spray from the hose or drink from the dripping.