Warm Climate Summers

[silkie10]

I always have found that frozen watermelon really helps. they enjoy it and it's great for keeping them cool. You could also spray them with the hose on mist whenever you think it's most hot. It's not much but it really helps for me.

Also, do they dust bathe? nice cool sand put in the shade would help a lot too

 

[noisegeyser]

Do chickens eat less in hot weather? They have plenty of shade in their run and aren't showing any signs of heat stress, just drinking a lot and not eating as much as they were a week ago (before the heat got bad). After temperatures staying at around 60 degrees for a long time, it jumped up to 80 out of nowhere. It's not even June yet and we're already seeing full summer weather for where I live.

 

[aart]

Do chickens eat less in hot weather? They have plenty of shade in their run and aren't showing any signs of heat stress, just drinking a lot and not eating as much as they were a week ago (before the heat got bad). After temperatures staying at around 60 degrees for a long time, it jumped up to 80 out of nowhere. It's not even June yet and we're already seeing full summer weather for where I live.

Yes, their feed intake will drop with heat....especially when it comes on fast, they need time to acclimate.

Just like us...was ~80 and humid yesterday, had me shedding layers ...then today much cooler and I was 'freezing'.

 

[chkva]

I freeze sugar baby watermelons and smash them on the ground, the chickens love it. I make them puddles outside with the hose and they run through them when it's hot. We are putting a fan in our coop to circulate the air in the hotter months. Freeze a big cube with berries in it and they'll peck at the ice and grab the berries out of it.

Corn is one thing to avoid during hot months, it boosts their metabolism and causes them to produce more heat.