Topic of the Week - Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer

[JustMeInLA]

 

[JustMeInLA]

It was my first time posting a picture. In Louisiana they're mostly called crawfish trays. They don't take up much room and they work. I'm using 2 of them now that I have few more hens. No more panting.

 

[Loving my girls]

I use terracotta bowls like the ones for under a large pot plant, large but fairly shallow, seems to do the trick. Metal or black is no good for my hot humid summers, even in shade metal heats up too much

Also as of last summer, I now give them only fermented feed and I keep it quite wet - I think they possibly get hydration with probiotics.

Mostly I try to avoid adding tasks to my day to keep them cool - shade/water/wet feed/cool dirt patches are things I can manage and be away for the day.

Most of my chickens are built for heat, only a few are less heat tolerant varieties (so I have to accept a bit more effort for them as I chose them! Yes I've even laid a small wet towel on the coop floor for them near the pop door -they love it, but I hate the laundry!).

I use an old Cat litter tray and a propagator tray. I find they tend to drink from it rather than stand in it. I put almost frozen sweetcorn kernels and other yummies in them.
I keep them under a garden mister so that when they eat them they get cooled.
Double whammy

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

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.

This is what I use they are easy to get in and out of the coop and you can add ice. I get them from Walmart. I freeze water in a Large bowl and place it in the so it lasts most of the afternoon till it starts to cool down

 

[Momma-Hen-Misti]

I keep Gatorade bottles full of water frozen in the freezer & add them to the waterers. I have enough to refresh the bottles 3 different times throughout the day.

 

[Chknma769]

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 found a foot bath for rinsing your feet before getting in the pool, it ended up being perfect for a chicken pool. We fill it with water then in early afternoon when it's getting really hot we dump some ice into it, they love it!

 

[Henora]

I use an old Cat litter tray and a propagator tray. I find they tend to drink from it rather than stand in it. I put almost frozen sweetcorn kernels and other yummies in them.
I keep them under a garden mister so that when they eat them they get cooled.
Double whammy

Do you use freezer sweet corn or canned?

 

[ChicnRitch]

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Pic by @tnt-ranch ​

Summertime is a wonderful time, but with the sunshine and long days comes a potential hazard for our flocks: extreme heat. Chickens naturally wear a warm coat of feathers and can overheat easily, therefore it's essential that we provide means for them to cool down, if needed, and regulate their body temperatures. What do you all do to help your flocks beat the heat?

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

After loosing one of my girls in the TX heat, we went to great measures to keep our girls cool in the summer (which started in May this year ). We have pleanty of dusting areas in shady spots. We have outdoor fans blowing into the main run area as well as the coop and goats area. We make sure their water is change out daily. I also have multiple dogbowls full of water with electrolytes (I am blessed to be able to work from home so we do welfare checks through the day. I add ice cubes at the hottest part of the afternoon). We have sun shades with a mister that goes off for 15 mins every hour. There is also a wading pool that I will dump ice into on the insanely hot days. The goats and the chicks love it! And finally - I don't give high sugar fruit snacks or much scratch during the hot months so the girls don't work up their metabolism any more than they have to. And though it's early in the season, we have not seen a decline in egg production and no signs of any of our girls overheating!

 

[Rubyred1963]

My chickens' run is of a light dry sandy dirt (more of a dust) and the few inches of straw I've added. Would it be a good idea to wet it down on hotter days (typically it's very dry and temps max out at around 95F - 100F). I'll have to take water over via a bucket so they won't get as much as if they had a hose.

 

[Stephine]

After loosing one of my girls in the TX heat, we went to great measures to keep our girls cool in the summer (which started in May this year ). We have pleanty of dusting areas in shady spots. We have outdoor fans blowing into the main run area as well as the coop and goats area. We make sure their water is change out daily. I also have multiple dogbowls full of water with electrolytes (I am blessed to be able to work from home so we do welfare checks through the day. I add ice cubes at the hottest part of the afternoon). We have sun shades with a mister that goes off for 15 mins every hour. There is also a wading pool that I will dump ice into on the insanely hot days. The goats and the chicks love it! And finally - I don't give high sugar fruit snacks or much scratch during the hot months so the girls don't work up their metabolism any more than they have to. And though it's early in the season, we have not seen a decline in egg production and no signs of any of our girls overheating!

Glad you are managing to keep everyone comfortable! Just two things, because these keep popping up:
1. Fans do not help animals that don’t sweat cool down if they are just moving hot air. In cool air, fans can cool because of windchill alone (more air cooler than skin taking up more heat from the body); in the heat though, what makes us feel better is actually the moving air evaporating the sweat on our skin faster, and cooling us down faster as a result. Chickens don’t sweat and blowing warm air at them will not help. Fans can only be useful if the chickens are in an area where the air is hotter than what your fans blow in (like in an enclosed coop).
2. Sweet food is fine in the heat. It will not make them warm. Easily digested carbs can help chickens in the winter to stay warm, because they provide energy, but they don’t in themselves have a warming effect. Sweet fruit, like watermelon (or corn) in the heat can be a help for chickens because they tend to want to eat less when it’s hot. Carbs deliver energy, not heat.
Hope this helps!