Sleeping during the day?

[Skylight404]

Hey everyone,

It's 98F where I live, and is going to only get hotter for three more days. This is my first summer with chickens, and so I don't quite know what's normal. I have one older hen, four seventeen week olds, and one twenty-one week old. They have been panting and holding their wings away from their bodies all day, and I have done my best to keep them cool - feeding cold watermelon as a treat, making sure they have shade and water, and even going so far as to dunk their feet in a bucket of cool water. Nothing seems to help. I have already taken one inside, who has just recently gotten over an illness, because she was listless and falling asleep in the run. Now, four out of six are sleeping, or falling asleep. Is it normal for chickens to sleep during hot weather, or is it a sign of heat stroke?

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

May I suggest using a mister in the area? I had mine on low. They are inexpensive for the space you need. I would suggest a fan to keep the air moving, but in a place they can't stick a curious beak in it. If you have a sprinkler system run it manually. Or set out a sprinkler.