What to do when its SOOO hot outside!?

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

There food and water is shaded and replenished--thinking about getting a nipple waterer anyways, but it's just so stinking hot here in FL...any tricks you do besides a fan? We don't have electric out there but I suppose if we had too....????

 

[MakNugget]

Refill soda bottles with water and freeze. Put them on the run or coop to keep them cool. You can also submerge them in their water reservoir to keep the drinking water cool.

I haven't done this yet but for an alternative water source, I was thinking about freezing my old brooder waterer that's a gravity type unit that would help too.

Frozen treats work wonders. My girls enjoyed working on a frozen piece of watermelon.

 

[3chimama]

I put out a shallow pan and fill it with ice cubes and frozen fruit pieces...it encourages the girls to drink and they love the cold fruit...the iced water bottles work well too...

 

[emvickrey]

Last year we used the ice water bottles. I had forgotten all about that. We still have them in the deep freeze. I would change them out in the after noon and remove them at night and return them to the freezer (after I washed them off) then the next morning I would refresh the water and add the bottles. Thanks for the reminder. Also what I do to help cool them is I will give them frozen corn on the cob or frozen peas that come n the bag. They love it. I also freeze different things for them. I don't know if it is good for them or not but as long as they aren't in the direct sun ight and can get into some shade I will give them a little spraying with the water hose. Some of them actually like it. They shake off the excess water and settle down to rest or roll in the mud. But it stops their hard breathing with that quacking noise they make. Some of them prefer for me to make them a puddle of mud to roll themselves in instead of hosing them down, The silkies like for me to let the water hose run while they dring the running water. I don't have a fan either but I plan to get one out to the big coop for them. I'm surprised i've not lost any but it's probably the efforts to keep them in cool water

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

We regularly get above 110 here in the desert southwest; we too use frozen water bottles in waterers. I also have plastic gallon waterers that I freeze and rotate out every other day. I'm just discovering that the availability of puddles to wade into is something they like.
Layers of shade is the best thing you can do for them.

 

[LC orps]

Why didn't I think of freezing their watermelon and other "treats"... great idea. Thanks for posting.

 

[emvickrey]

When I refill waters I usually hose down the runs so they can walk thru the cold water. They love it. There are a few plced that they have dug a trench from rolling in the dirt. I fill them with water and they walk thru it and some stand in the puddles. I always give them a sprinkle too. Some of them actually walk thru the water thats being sprayed. I give them frozen vegetables too for cold treats.

 

[Mark & Nique]

We're in SC -- plenty hot with 100 temperatures of late. We freeze small plastic water bottles (the hand-sized ones), then lay them down in our chickens' tractor.

It sounds crazy, but I've seen them leaning against them (or cuddling ). Plus, they can stand upon them for a few moments as chickens' feet help with cooling.

This advice is not my own, but from others here on BYC. It works; give it time and try it!

 

[Ruth Ann]

Yes I got the advise to do the frozen water bottles...and it works great.
I use the juice bottles. They have flat sides...so no roliing around.
I also put a big hunk of ice in their water bowl (a old crockpot insert).
It is heavy so it doesn't flip when they stand on the rim to cool their feet.

 

[LizGled628]

I put frozen strawberries in the brooder when it was really hot outside. I forgot to warn my husband, and when he came home from work he thought there had been a MASSACRE in there...so much red juice! They loved it.