Topic of the Week - Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Spraying the ground with the hose where the hens walk/hang out makes the ground cooler and sometime water holds and they scratch and drink it. All good. Good luck everyone! I also have a window fan I'll use for the run when its super hot. They like that breeze.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

With the extreme heat in Florida we built hoop coops under large trees for shade. We uncover the sides during
the day so any breeze comes through. We have put in auto waterers using water cups and floats in the buckets. We have not gotten it perfected yet to auto shutoff so we have to manually fill up, but we have water lines in both coops making the task easier. Eventually we’ll get rid of bell waterers. Watermelon and other produce with lots of liquid from our garden. We also feed them frozen treats (peas, broccoli and alike) to keep them cool. We have wood shavings under their roost but the front of the coop has course construction sand which stays cool. We will be adding open pens for grazing in the future but that too will be in a shaded area with some flag tarps for cover from the rain. A work in progress.

 

[Nym]

Has anyone tried a pet cooling mat for their chickens? It has a pressure activated gel that keeps 5-10 degrees cooler than the surrounding environment.

The cooling effect doesn't last long once the pressure is applied. Mine was always warm when my dog left it to find a cooler spot. But, chickens being lighter, it may work longer, if they were keen to stay on it.

 

[JustMeInLA]

I have shade tarps, fans, and a 2" deep wade pool and they're comfortable with this setup, especially the wade pool. I also toss a frozen water bottle in their water bucket and wade pool

 

[Heatherhurley]

What do you use for shallow water dishes that the chickens can stand in? My run will be 8x10 and the small kiddie pools I've found would take up a lot of space. Summer can be really hot in MO and my coop in a yard with little shade though it and the run will have a roof topped with white metal roofing.

I use a sled! It’s narrow and far more shallow so my birds don’t freak out in it

 

[MAT10]

I use a sled! It’s narrow and far more shallow so my birds don’t freak out in it

I use a couple of tote/dishpan tubs from the dollar store. Sometimes place a frozen 1/2 gal milk carton of water in to slowly melt. My SLW uses it the most & stands briefly to cool down & then she's off again.

 

[JustMeInLA]

I've only had chickens a little over a year and last year way very hot/humid, we had feel like temps in triple digits. I was beside myself watching them trying to deal with it. I had the shade tarps and fans running. I hopped on the pc to see if there was anything I could do and that was when I learned chickens cool thru their feet. The only viable item I had on hand was a tray that was 16" across and just over 2" deep, I had several of them. I put them in the coop and put the first hen in it, she jumped out, the second hen jumped out, the third hen didn't jump out. They're in and out of them many times throughout the day. I toss in a frozen water bottle and they're happy to have them and so am I.

 

[Insnesnakos]

My chickens have lots of shady areas and I give them fresh water and watermelon to eat, they gobble it up and get the juice everywhere

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I have shade tarps, fans, and a 2" deep wade pool and they're comfortable with this setup, especially the wade pool. I also toss a frozen water bottle in their water bucket and wade pool

The wade pool....show a pic please?!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I have shade tarps, fans, and a 2" deep wade pool and they're comfortable with this setup, especially the wade pool. I also toss a frozen water bottle in their water bucket and wade pool

I'd love to see the wade pool!