Chicken Care in a Heatwave: 3 Do’s and 1 Don’t

We are in an unprecedented heatwave. I see folks all over worrying about how to care for their chickens as temps cross 100F for days on end. I also see folks acting out of a desire to keep their chickens cool, but the measures they are taking can actually be harmful to chickens.
Here are 3 things you can provide right now to make sure your chickens are set up to get through the heatwave AND one thing you definitely do NOT want to do for your chooks in the heat.
Bonus: treats that support your flock during hot summer weather. Double bonus: how I care for my ducks in the heat.
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[@user-bi6eg1lo7v]

Your ducks and chickens are very fortunate to have a loving family member as yourself. :)

[@ArnoldZiffle-jw2mv]

Thank you for posting. We had a 13 year old turkey & now we have a hen who is 9+. We give frozen peas & veggies when it’s so hot. Poultry won’t drink warm water no matter how fresh it is so we freeze water in Tupperware type containers & put the ice in their water. We give our old hen shallow pans of water to stand in she cools herself thru her feet I guess cause she likes to stand in it & she no longer pants with her mouth open. We give our poultry a big pile of diatomaceous earth in their wood shavings in their house. We dampen the area & they like to get down in it & cool off their belly. They can’t eat seeds too much on the hot days cause digesting corn esp warms them even more. They mostly eat frozen broccoli & mixed shredded salads. Our 20+ year old dove just laughs at the heat & seems like it doesn’t bother her much at all.

[@cindiwhite5726]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your chicken advice. I am in western Washington state beginning the heat wave this week end. I let them roam around and hunker down under the trees and shrubs and put out watermelon and cottage cheese for them. What a great idea, they loved it.

[@ldlockhart-lutzow9421]

I had nine chickens and gave them fresh cool water, cold refrigerated fruit & veggies every afternoon at it's hottest times

[@wildedibles819]

Great tips we are getting rain finally

[@traryvery8851]

Really good advice Angela. I am sure that it will have contributed to the comfort of many chickens.

[@gwynnwhite4500]

Thank you for all your videos. I will be supporting you on Patreon.

[@phenixjiraliving]

Love the video! I'm getting ready for 105 degrees and hoping for the best. Lots of shade and water and areas for dust bath. My main issue is the coop. It's ventilated and has a fan, etc but it just never gets to a comfortable temp before they had up to sleep. Last year they perched outside in the run (it was safe there) but this year is different with new flock members, etc.

[@alyssavincentstephens7981]

Wonderful video. Calmed me down a lot. Thank you!🎉

[@nagasvoice8895]

Best of luck to you and your birds! I mentioned in comment on your earlier video using a patio mister hose to cool our chicken run under a shade tree, but I also make sure there are dry areas for their choice of where to go.

[@ceciliamarie1979]

Thank you so much for your awesome videos!!! Very informative and inspirational. 🙌🏼

[@honkymonkey9568]

Everybody else on KZbin says to mist them with water and that it made them stop panting and able to eat again and some started dying until they started spraying them and it saved the rest of them, etc. So, I'm going with spraying them.

[@rogerknight2267]

South Mississippi here. Mid triple digits. I place large frozen chunks of ice in my girls’ water pan at least three times per day. Their water contains blend of vitamins, electrolytes and probiotics. The run is comprised of playground sand which enables me to wet down the run throughout the day giving them a cool place for their feet and body. Stay away from water misters!!! It can cause serious respiratory issues for your birds. Our summer diet includes sardines, cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded lettuce and an occasional melon. Keep close watch on their stool. Diarrhea is often the byproduct of too much melon and lettuce.

[@onlyintime9914]

Great tip to not get chickens wet in summer as it doesn't actually help keep them cool

[@678friedbed]

liked the info. what about misting?

[@selecttravelvacations7472]

Do you by chance use one of those misters for your chicken instead of a sprinkler? I’m still not sure how you keep them cool enough in 114F weather. I hear the mister’s work well for other’s but curious weather you’ve tried it..the water comes out as a fine mist only.

[@deidrecalabro5725]

Does the dust bath need to be in the shade? Thanks for the information about the kiddy pools.

[@ag4ever329]

What leaves are your chickens eating? Thank you.

[@StaceyHerewegrowagain]

Great video thank you so much for sharing! I'm a mew chicken mamma and I live on sunny Florida. It's been 115° with the heat index and I'm doing everything possible to keep them cool. Even though I'm giving them cold, frozen water, cold treats, shade, dust bathing area and they are still panting pretty badly. Any other suggestions or is this something they are going to do to try to keep cool. I just don't know when it's a problem because I'm a newbie here. So worried about them. I have a sprinkler over the roof for evaporative cooling, but not directly on them. Do you feel that's ok or do you think it will it make it worse if they end up getting misted a little bit here and there.

[@AshleysHobbystead]

What is the breed of chicken that is in your thumbnail? I have the same one and I don't know what kind she is. It's the one that looks kinda like a wyandotte but has a grayer head and towards the tail it gets darker.