- Shaded areas
- Electrolytes in their water (if they are panting / drinking a lot) will help replace the electrolytes they are losing.
- Fresh water throughout the day (water left out in the sun will soon be warmed, so it is nice to replace it with new cool water every now and then if you can). A few ice cubes in the water can help keep it cooler for longer. They will probably be drinking more than normal so it should be checked on to ensure that it does not run out.
refresh your chickens on a hot summers day.
- Ventilation in the coop
- Frozen ice packs - freeze 2 litre plastic bottles of water (or similar) as something cool that can be hung or laid on the floor of the coop or in a shaded area of the run for them to sit by or perch on if they want to (if you can place the bottles in something like a zip-lock bag then they should be kept clean so that they can go back into the freezer ready for another hot day).
- Cool fruits such as watermelon (straight from the fridge for extra coolness!) will help cool and hydrate your chickens.
- A fan in the coop. A well ventilated coop may not need a fan, but in very hot weather if there is no air circulation the heat they expel from their own bodies can increase the temperature even further.
4 comments:
I am getting ready to get my chickens in the middle of summer in Texas no less and so I am excited to see this post because I did have concerns about keeping my new pets cool.
thanks for this post!
We live in Santa Fe, New Mexico which, being in the mountains/high desert is cool at night but the sun is ferociously hot and strong during the day. We built our chicken coop out of adobe with a reflective metal roof (insulated underneath). This has worked really well for keeping a cool coop. As for water- I use a bucket in the shade, partially buried (the depth keeps it a little cooler). Even if doesn't run out, I change it daily to prevent bacteria build up.
I bought a trough that fits on a five gallon bucket for my new chic coop. My idea to keep 5 gallons of water cool is to put a liter frozen water bottle in the bucket of water. Keeping it in the shade also helps.
I have a shallow (about 1 inch deep or so) square plastic pan with water in it and some of the hens like to stand in it. I think it cools their feet. I replace the water in it periodically and I've noticed several of the hens standing in it in the afternoon. A large round plastic plant dish would also work.
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