Since we lost an aging hen at the beginning of this heat spell, we have been checking on the chickens about ten times per day. We were bringing them ice water in an old plastic chicken water feeder and putting it in the shade.
Then I did an Internet search for keeping chickens cool and found a blog from a backyard chicken keeper in Phoenix, where it is regularly 120 degrees in the summer~ yipes! And we thought 100 degrees with humidity was a heat spell.
One of her tips was that chickens keep cool through their legs. She said that they don't like to get wet, but they do like to stand in water or on ice scattered around the yard.
So we chose an old roasting pan and filled it up with ice and offered it to the ladies.
It took them a few minutes, but they took turns standing in it, then drinking the cooler water.
Others have been cooling themselves in their more classic way~ the good old dirt bath in the shade trick.
I am just happy to have another trick up our sleeve to try and keep them healthy in this spell. Weatherman says it will break after tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment