10 Tips Save Your Chickens In Summer Heat
Many new backyard chicken keepers are often surprised to find out extreme heat poses just as much if not more threat to the health of your flock than extreme cold. While some seasonal adjustment and discomfort is normal, certain breeds and individual chickens are more sensitive to temperature extremes. Losing flock members to extreme heat can be a costly and heartbreaking experience. Luckily there are simple, cost effective things you can do to help your backyard flock survive the summer heat.
Chickens don’t cool themselves the same way that mammals do. As humans, when our body temperature is too high, we sweat. Chickens cool themselves by surface cooling meaning they cool down via the exposed areas of skin on their body which are their face, comb, waddles, and legs. Larger combs and waddles mean more efficient cooling in the summer heat. Breeds of chicken with smaller tighter combs like pea combs, large fluffy crests, or feathered legs while more resistant to cold may struggle in the summer heat. Regardless of their breed, there are simple ways to help your flock stay comfortable in summer temperature extremes.
Heat stress in chickens is their bodies’ response to extreme heat when they can’t properly cool themselves. It varies in levels from normal acceptable levels of seasonal discomfort to life threatening conditions. Seasonal discomfort appears like light panting. More extreme heat stress will begin to look like the chickens holding their wings away from their body and attempting to take advantage of air flow close to their bodies. Heat stress has become life threatening when the panting appears like hyperventilation, you notice discoloration and paleness on their face and waddles, the flock has a complete disinterest in food or water, signs extreme lethargy, and fainting. Comfort interventions and emergency interventions include things like pressing a clean, cool, damp rag to your chickens’ face, comb, and waddles or dipping their legs in cool water. Severe symptoms or additional medical issues may require an isolation plan.
Provide shade for your flock. Your chicken housing needs a roof to protect chickens from the elements. Shade cloth is ideal for adding additional cover and protection from the direct sun. If you can’t afford shade cloth things like a tarp or even an old sheet can be secured to the side of your run, coop, or even the side of a building or fence to give your flock a shaded place to escape the sun. Secure two sides of your tarp or sheet to the structure and secure the two lowers corners with tent stakes or sticks.
Provide extra water stations. Hydration is important for you and your flock. Provide additional water stations for your flock to drink in shaded, appealing locations where they naturally gather. If a water station is placed in direct sunlight not only will the water be hot but your flock is unlikely to use it. Use livestock safe metal, plastic, and rubber bowls and dishes to provide your flock with extra water.
Use chicken safe hydration packets. Use a hydration supplement designed for poultry in one of your multiple water stations. It is vital to always provide these supplements in addition to, not as a substitute for, clean fresh plain water. Not all chickens will drink supplement water and this could result in the accidental death or one or more of your flock members. Use these hydration packets according to their instructions and refresh them as needed.
Provide your flock with a fan. You can use outdoor fans or even a discount box fan stationed somewhere your flock has the option to use it. Note your flock should be able to step near and away from the fan. It’s important to not make the air flow from the fan inescapable as this could inadvertently cause respiratory issues or stress. Secure fans either out of the reach of the flock or in ways that prevent them from toppling accidentally if a flock members perches on them. If you’re re-purposing a fan intended for indoor use, know it will become clogged with dust and likely be unusable after one season.
Provide a shallow wading pool. A disposal tin pan or reusable plastic litter pan with a few inches of water and a surface to stand on like paving stone, old bricks, or a smooth stone can provide your flock with a chance to stand in the water and cool down through their feet. You also use your hose to dampen your lawn in areas where your flock frequents so they can choose to walk through the damp grass.
Provide a dust bath. Especially if your flock is living in fulltime or partial confinement it’s important that they have access to a dust bath to maintain healthy skin and feathers. The act of dust bathing helps maintain feather health which helps your chicken better control their own body temperature. The act of dust bathing in cool dirt or coarse sand helps chickens cool themselves.
Add ice blocks to your water stations. You can purchase ice at your local retailer and add ice to watering stations for easier maintenance for you and cooler water for your flock. You can also create your own ice by making ice forms in plastic containers. Never make ice in glass containers in your freezer as ice molecules expand when they freeze and this could result in a freezer full of broken glass. Make ice forms in plastic receptacles only. You can repurpose storage container or even old margarine or fast food containers.
Add moisture to their feed regimen by either fermenting your feed or creating mash. Fermented feed is naturally moist and higher in vitamins in addition to being easier for your flock to digest especially during stressful weather conditions. Mash is when you combine your regular feed or treats with water to add a hydrating element. Remove and clean your livestock dishes when your flock is done eating to avoid accidentally drawing predators into your chicken area.
Open doors and windows in your chicken area. If your chicken area or chicken housing has openings, windows, or vents make sure they are open to maximize air flow. Open windows or vents can be covered with hardware cloth to protect your flock from predators even when the window or vent is left open overnight.
These things could make your flock hotter in a heatwave:
Feeding during the heat of the day. If you ration feed your flock or provide extra treats during a heatwave do so in the early morning and/or late evening after the heat of the day has passed. Digestion naturally heats up a chicken’s body. You don’t want their body temperature to spike during the heat of the day.
Hosing down your flock. While some flocks may enjoy the misting experience, in some cases watering down a chicken’s feathers can mat them to their skin ultimately making it harder or impossible for them to cool down. Chickens cool themselves by fluffing their feathers away from their body. If they’re soaked with feathers matted with moisture to their bodies, they can no longer manipulate their feathers to cool themselves. Solutions for extreme heat are not cookie cutter one size fits all, so use your best judgement to determine which solutions do and don’t work best for your flock.
Using too much bedding and ground cover. Ground cover helps to prevent excess mud in your chicken area and makes it easier to maintain and clean. However, an excess of bedding and ground cover materials can begin natural decomposition which is the heat source provided by deep bedding method. As these materials break down, they naturally release heat which can increase the ambient air temperature. Great when you are trying to achieve that in the wintertime, less ideal in the summer months. Use your bedding and ground cover materials sparingly in the hotter months and try to keep the fresh cover to 2 inches or less to avoid accidentally heating up your chicken area.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post all about keeping your flock cool and comfortable during summer heatwaves. If you would like to learn even more about backyard chickens and homesteading check out Chuck’s other social media linked below.
Chuck and the Chicks 