Preparing for the heat wave

Record temperatures are expected, and here are some tips for helping biddies through the heat.

Make sure they have cool water; on very hot days adding a few ice cubes to the waterer can be helpful. Do not let waterers run out; on a hot day a chicken may consume more than double the usual amount of water.

Set up a fan where they can move in and out of the airflow as needed. They not only need to be able to enjoy the air currents from the fan - but they need to escape them if they chill.

Don't forget to make sure all vents are open in the chicken house.

Make sure they have access to a nice area of loose dirt in the chicken run for dustbathing; they will dig deep to cool themselves. Sometimes a light sprinkling of water to cool the dust bath area is appreciated by hot hens.

Try to not disturb or excite them during the hottest part of the day. Sometimes it helps to turn on the backyard floodlights an hour before dawn to give them more time to eat and drink.

Do not feed scratch during hot days; chickens tend to eat less when hot and will not get enough vital nutrients if they eat scratch - at this time they need to be eating layer ration.

A little bit of green feed or a watermelon rind can be given at the hottest part of the day - but make the amount no more than they can clean up in fifteen minutes.

Expect watery waste output during this time; looser stools are part of how a chicken cools itself.

Gently - and briefly - misting chickens if they have prolonged periods of panting with their wings extended can be helpful. This means a very few seconds of the mist setting on a hose sprayer, not a drenching.