keeping chickens cool in the summer
how to protect chickens from heat
I’m from Texas and let me tell you: it gets HOT in the summer! I practically melt when I walk from my house to my car. I couldn’t imagine living outside all summer long. Unfortunately, as much as I want to bring all my chickens to live indoors all summer, I don’t think that would make them happy. Cooler, yes. Happy, probably not.
My mom got chickens when we moved out to the country in Texas and I had no idea what wonderful pets chickens could make! Her chickens quickly became my chickens, my babies actually.
Our first summer with the chickens really worried me because I didn’t want them to overheat. There are different chicken breeds that do better in the heat than others, and most of ours are pretty hardy in hotter temperatures. However, at the time we had a few bantam cochins as well. Cochins are the breed that has feathery feet.
Chickens do not sweat so they dispel extra heat through the parts of their bodies that are not covered in feathers (wattles, combs, beaks, and feet). So the fact that our cochins had feathery feet was not to their advantage in summer. I could literally see how miserable the chickens could get when it got over 90 degrees.
signs to look out for:
- Panting: open beak with tongue going up and down
- Holding wings away from body
- Slow and lethargic behavior
- Decreased appetite
- Pale or discolored combs and wattles
- Egg production may slow down
how to protect your chickens from the heat
research breeds
Overheating in chickens is serious and can lead to death. As I mentioned before, certain breeds do better in the heat. So before you even get your chickens, do your research and see which breeds will do best in your climate. Do not assume that the stores would only sell chickens good for your area. They don’t.
shade
The best thing my mom ever did for those chickens was really pay attention to the spaces in our yard that would get shade. We built their coop in a place where they had shade all day. It was also the spot on our land that would get good breezes throughout the day.
As nice as it is to have natural shade, I realize that not everyone might have that. In those cases, it is important you figure out how to shade your chicken coop/ run area. Whether it’s planting trees (it’s not weird to plant a few trees just for your chickens really) or putting up a shade cloth, it is your responsibility to make sure your chickens don’t overheat.
pool
One of the things we did for our chickens in the summer, is offer them a pool. My mom used planter trays or saucers mostly, but you could also use kiddie pools. Anything that you can find that you can put a couple of inches of water in that your chickens can take turns standing in would be perfect. We have some chickens that will stand in their little pool off and on all day and we have some that will not ever go in them, but at least they have the option.
frozen jugs
Frozen juice jugs and water bottles were also very helpful on those really scorching days. We would take some of the biggest plastic containers we could find and freeze them solid with water. We would put a few of those in their run so they could stand on them or lie next to them during the day. At night we put one or two in their coop by their roost. A few of the hens that didn’t care for the pool would sometimes stand on the bottles. And actually, we would put a few frozen jugs in their pool to keep their pool water cool and also offer a place for them to stand in the pool.
frozen treats
I know when it’s really hot outside, I crave cold foods. Why? Because those cold foods can help you cool off. Same goes with chickens.
Watermelon is a great summer treat for your chickens because it is primarily made up of water which will help your chickens stay hydrated. My mom and I would cut up huge chunks of watermelon and freeze them for the chickens. A little thing to note, because watermelon is mostly water, that can lead to your chickens having very watery poop if given too much too often.
There is a bunch of other treats you can alternate between. Frozen mixed vegetables and fruits like blueberries are some good ones. Pedialyte is safe for chickens and can get them much needed electrolytes.
We would combine the 2 and make ice cubes made out of pedialyte (gatorade is ok too but it has more sugar) with fruits or veggies in them. It gives the chickens something to peck at that will last a little longer. If you have a big flock or want something to last even longer, just make a bigger frozen block by putting water and goodies into tupperware.
fun fact:
Chickens don’t have stomachs. Instead they have a crop which acts like a stomach and grounds down the chicken’s food.
So if you feed your chicken frozen foods on a hot day, that means that frozen food sits in the chicken’s crop waiting to be digested and keeps the chicken cool internally!
In the same way, when chicken’s eat cracked corn or scratch it can heat them up internally, so leave that treat for the winter only.
cold water
Nothing is worse than taking a drink from a water bottle only to realize the water inside is hot! Keeping that in mind, your chickens will need cold water at all times. Remember those frozen jugs? You can put those jugs in their water to keep it cooler longer. We would use frozen gatorade bottles to keep their water cool but even that would not keep it cool all day. We had to replace their water 1 -2 times a day even using the frozen bottles in their water.
They have electrolytes for chickens which are always good to give them in the summer as well. As mentioned above, if you cannot find specific electrolytes for chickens, you can give them pedialyte or gatorade.
make mud
Wetting the dirt in your chicken’s coop is a good way to bring the temperature down. All of those frozen jugs and water bottles lying in their pool or waterers that have melted can be dumped out all over their run area.
Your chickens can stand around or scratch in the wet mud to help cool themselves and by wetting the dirt it will literally bring the air temperature down a bit.
misters or sprinklers
Misters and sprinklers are another way to cool the temperature in your coop and run area. Wetting the air will immediately cool the air temperature. Providing mist is another good way to help your chickens cool off.
clean your coop
Did you know that when the bedding material in your coop starts to break down it actually heats up? That is why it is important to keep up with cleaning your coop as often as possible in the summer, not to mention the flies and odor that can accompany a heated dirty coop.
Some people use a deep litter method in their coop which involves a very thick layer of bedding. That thick layer of bedding mixed with a thick layer of chicken excrement will provide extra insulation that is good for winter but bad for the summer.
ventilate your coop
Would you rather be trapped in a house with no air conditioning that has windows or that has no windows? I’m guessing windows would be your choice.
Just like you, your chickens prefer air flow, so you will want to open some windows or doors in your coop to help with ventilation. If you are concerned about predators, consider adding hardware cloth to the windows, so you can still have the air flow with the safety. If possible, adding a fan in your coop would help your chickens a lot too.
get your chicken wet
We really only did this when the scorching heat was too much to handle for the chickens no matter what we did. You can do one of two things to help cool your chickens instantly.
FIrst, take a wet washcloth and wipe them down, especially their legs, comb, and wattle. If your chickens are used to being picked up and pet then this shouldn’t be too shocking for them.
Second, you can dunk your chicken (up to their chest) in a bucket of cool or room temperature water. This will really help them get cool fast if they are overheating quickly. They may not like you for doing it but it could help in emergency situations.
So there you have it! Ten things you can do to help keep your chickens cool in the hot summer weather. If you have tried something not mentioned on this list, I would love to hear about it! Leave me a message in the comments on things that you have tried to keep your chickens cool!