SOS!!!

[SarahKateMcP]

New Chicken Owner here in Raleigh NC. Its about to get EXTREMELY hot here and i need to know any and all tips on how to protect my chickens!!! It will be 100+ for M, Tues, Wed, and possibly thursday. I love my chickens so much and will do anything to protect them. Please help!

 

[Naya]

Hey Sarah

One thing i always do, is giving my chickens a bowl of water with ice and frozen berries (mostly if they dont drink enough, but also simply because they love to catch the berries lol). Also try to keep their feet cool, either with shallow baths, or (if they dont like water) cold bricks in the bath, so your chickens can stand on top of those (the bricks usually soak up the cold water and, therefore, get colder pretty fast.

Or, if you can, put sand in the Fridge overnight and give it to your flock to "bathe" in.

The thing that worked best for us, is actually also the easiest. You probably have trees or/and bushes in your yard/where your chickens are. Try to wet those with a hose, almost like watering plants. Idk exactly why, but it gets so much cooler underneath if you do this same goes for big wooden crates with like a cold towel on top. Youd just have to cut out a hole on the side for your chickens to get in. (I hope my terrible explanation is somewhat understandable)

I hope my tips help a little and good luck with your little friends trough those hot days!

 

[Cebarmlds]

Do they have shade they can get to? toss some frozen peas on the ground in the shade, change their water frequently during the day. a separate water font with electrolytes may be helpful, don't give the junk people drink though, homemade is better, there is a recipe on here somewhere, I'll look for it... You can also wet some of their regular feed so they get more moisture. I like to give my girls watermelon, they love it.

 

[Cebarmlds]

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2017/02/homemade-electrolyte-recipe-chicks.html

 

[Cebarmlds]

Recipe for water with electrolytes:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons honey OR molasses OR granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda OR 1 teaspoon apple cider vinager

found this from BDutch

 

[MROO]

When it's super hot like this week is expected to be, I freeze water in plastic jugs (milk, juice, soda, etc.) I put one in the coop and one in a shady corner of the run. They work like a heat plate, but "backwards." The large ice block cools a small area where the birds can be as close or as far away as they need to be to stay comfortable.
When the water thaws completely, I use it for my plants, then toss the jug into the recycling bin. You could reuse them, but I don't like to put the dirty jugs back into my freezer.

 

[Eggcessive]

Shade and cool water in multiple spots are the most important things. Shallow pans can be half full of water for the chickens to walk in and cool their legs. If you don’t have shade, make some with tables, shade cloth, plywood and cinder blocks, a lean to, sheets, etc. Provide end to end ventilation inside the coop. A fan blowing inside the coop, and outside a window to pull air through the coop works well. I change water twice a day because chickens will not drink warm water. If it is shaded, it still may be cool enough to drink.

 

[SarahKateMcP]

Hey Sarah

One thing i always do, is giving my chickens a bowl of water with ice and frozen berries (mostly if they dont drink enough, but also simply because they love to catch the berries lol). Also try to keep their feet cool, either with shallow baths, or (if they dont like water) cold bricks in the bath, so your chickens can stand on top of those (the bricks usually soak up the cold water and, therefore, get colder pretty fast.

Or, if you can, put sand in the Fridge overnight and give it to your flock to "bathe" in.

The thing that worked best for us, is actually also the easiest. You probably have trees or/and bushes in your yard/where your chickens are. Try to wet those with a hose, almost like watering plants. Idk exactly why, but it gets so much cooler underneath if you do this same goes for big wooden crates with like a cold towel on top. Youd just have to cut out a hole on the side for your chickens to get in. (I hope my terrible explanation is somewhat understandable)

I hope my tips help a little and good luck with your little friends trough those hot days!

Thank you so much for these helpful tips!!! I will definitely try them out

 

[SarahKateMcP]

Our ladies are not free range due to our dogs and numerous hawks. We got them when some friends were moving to the beach and couldn't take them. They have never been free ranged so they have a huge run and coop. They are in the perfect spot to get morning sun and have shade for the complete rest of the day!

 

[Naya]

Thank you so much for these helpful tips!!! I will definitely try them out

Let me know if they help! I actually have two more things i didnt remember when i postet this afternoon.
Some chickens like frozen watermelon, its similar to the water with berries, good for dehydration and cools them down. I personally prefer the berries tho, because they last longer and you dont have to hold the bowl, which might be the case with the watermelon.
And to cool the coop you could try hanging wet towels over the (opened) windows in the evening and also spraying the roof with water (the same way youd do it on the trees in the run) that doesnt always work, but i thinks its worth a try