Chickens are very sensitive to high temperatures, much more so than cooler temperatures. While winter chicken keeping does pose its challenges, summer chicken keeping also presents a whole new set of issues. Chickens have a normal body temperature around 105-107 degrees F, so keeping them cool in hot weather is extremely important. These 8 ways a chicken stays cool are simple measures you can take to help your flock stay happy and healthy this summer!
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Disclaimer: I am not a scientist or a veterinarian and any health related advise in this post comes from my own personal experience and research.
For more tips on caring for chickens during extreme weather conditions, check out my post on Regional Chicken Keeping Considerations.
#1. A chicken can stay cool by altering its digestive processes.
The natural occurrence of digestion within the body generates internal heat. When chickens are trying to stay cool, reducing the amount of internal heat that is generated can be helpful. That means, the less a chicken eats the less digestion that has to take place. However, a chicken can not just stop eating during hot weather, otherwise all of their other body functions would suffer.
Chickens may or may not regulate their feed intake themselves. There are many opinions on the topic of adjusting feeding rations during the summer. Until I do more research and figure out what would be the best way to regulate summer feeding, here are just a few ideas to think about:
- Offer feed in the morning and the evening, when the temperatures are cooler. Take away the feed during the afternoon when it is hotter.
- Fat does not produce heat when digested, protein and carbohydrates do. However, chickens still need protein in the summer in order for them to stay healthy.
- Fat also increases the retention time of food in the digestive tract, which then causes the food to be digested for longer. The benefit of that is that more nutrients is drawn from the food. The detriment to that is that the digestive process takes longer which will produce more heat if protein and carbs are present.
#2. The less active a chicken is, the less body heat it generates.
We know this from experience. Do you get hotter when you are working on a hot summer day (even if it is in the shade) or do you get hotter when you are laying in a hammock on a hot summer day? The same goes for your chickens!
The big issue with this is the option to free-range your chickens which stimulates activity or to keep them confined, which in theory, would not stimulate activity. In my opinion, free-ranging is the better option and here is why I think that:
- In general, chickens will know when they need to be less active. So, even if they are free-ranging they will take breaks in the shade to stay cool.
- When chickens are confined they may get cabin fever and resort to bullying, eating more, and picking at each other. You would have to make sure that your enclosure was plenty big enough for the number of birds you have.
- Chickens generate body heat no matter what they are doing, and when they are all closed in together that body heat can be more easily transferred from bird to bird, making them more hot.
- Free-ranging allows more air flow around the bird to help it keep cool.
- While free-ranging, chickens may have access to dust bathing holes, puddles to wade through, and cool spots to lay in.
- Free-ranging does pose the problem of stimulating digestion as the chickens forage. However, even if you kept them in confinement, they would still need something to do, which would more than likely be eating. Without food when in confinement, chickens will get bored and resort to pecking at each other.
The Bottom Line is…..
As you can see, this argument can go either way. You will have to figure out what works best for you and your flock. I find that supervised free-ranging works best for me. My flock is used to free-ranging, so when they can’t free-range they get cranky. I try to let my flock free-range for a little bit each day. When I can’t supervise them, I put them in their enclosure and they relax on the perches. I have noticed that my chickens stay less active and are more content after they have free-ranged for a little bit.
Other ways to decrease activity
- Don’t chase your chickens.
- Keep your chickens from becoming scared or stressed out (no barking dogs, harassing children, or loud noises).
- If you have an assertive rooster, put him in a rooster jail so that he doesn’t stress out the hens by chasing them.
#3. Chickens can stay cool by dust bathing or laying in the dirt.
Cool dirt is always refreshing on a hot summer day, at least for a chicken it is! There are varying opinions on whether dust bathing helps keep a chicken cool or not due to the fact that they are being active when they dust bath. My chickens love to dust bath in hot weather, so I feel like dust bathing is just another way that they help themselves stay cool. Here is my opinion on dust bathing.
- One way that a chicken losses heat during hot weather (and hence cools down) is through conduction. Conduction is the transfer of heat between the chicken and an object of contact. Thus, if a chicken’s body is in direct contact with cool dirt, the heat from the chicken will transfer to the dirt and cool down the chicken.
- Activity does generate body heat, but if you have ever watched a chicken dust bath, they take lots of breaks. Dust bathing consists mostly of laying in the dirt and periodically rolling or throwing dirt onto themselves.
- You may have noticed that your chickens will dust bath in various spots. I have noticed that when they want to cool down, they choose a shady spot to dust bath in that has cool, slightly damp dirt. Other times, when it’s not so hot, they will choose a spot directly in the sun that has sandy, loose dirt to dust bath in.
- Lastly, dust bathing is essential to the health of a bird, so they have to do it in order to stay parasite free.
#4. Chickens stay cool by staying out of the sun.
This is another common sense fact that we often overlook. A shady spot in the heat of the summer can make a world of difference for staying cool. Your flock will appreciate it if you consider providing these shady spots:
- plenty of shade in the chicken yard when they are free-ranging
- a shaded enclosure and coop (see chicken coop building essentials for tips on where to build your coop)
- food and water that is in the shade
- a dust bath spot that is shaded
- don’t provide just man-made shade, make sure there are shrubs, trees, and undergrowth that provide shade for the chickens as well
#5. Chickens stay cool (and healthy) by drinking cool water.
Chickens are picky when it comes to water (I think we would be too if given the option). They would rather dehydrate themselves than drink warm water. That being said, they also don’t prefer super cold water! In general, chickens prefer water that is around 55 degrees F. During the summer, they appreciate slightly cooler water. Here are some tips for encouraging your chickens to stay hydrated this summer.
- Provide fresh, cool water at all times in a shady spot.
- If you have a lot of chickens, provide lots of waterers!
- Don’t over do it with the ice cubes! A few ice cubes ever so often will help keep clean water cool throughout the day. Too many ice cubes will make the water too cold and be repelling for your chickens.
- Do not add vinegar to their water to encourage drinking. Vinegar inhibits calcium absorption, which is already hindered during hot weather.
- Frozen berries placed in the water will encourage drinking and help keep the water cool. Remember though, digestion of the berries will also produce some internal heat, so don’t over do it with the berries!
- Herbal teas and cooled vegetable or bone broths are all great ‘beverages’ to serve your chickens during the summer. They help hydrate, provide nutrients, and don’t require as much digestion as hard food!
#6. The treats you feed your chickens in the summer can help them stay cool.
Feeding treats does stimulate digestion which produces heat, but there are some ways you can overcome that issue. Treats that are hydrating and nutritional will be beneficial for your flock when fed in moderation. Here are some tips that I follow when giving my chickens treats in the summer:
- Offer treats only after the chickens have had a chance to eat their fill of their regular feed. You don’t want them to lack in the essential nutrients provided by a well-balanced feed ration.
- Feed treats in the evening, when it is cooler and the chickens have eaten their fill of normal feed.
- Offer hydrating treats, such as fruits, leafy greens, herbs, and vegetables. The make-up of these foods also doesn’t generate as much heat, like proteins and carbs would. The nutrition provided by those treats will also be beneficial for the chickens.
- Try to limit the amount of carbohydrate treats or high protein treats. The chickens should be getting what they need of those elements from their normal feed and don’t need to be supplemented with them during the summer.
- Don’t make your chickens ‘work’ for the treats, unless you are trying to prevent boredom in confined chickens. Calm chickens generate less body heat.
#7. A cool coop will help your chickens stay cool this summer.
A cool chicken coop is especially important for when your chickens go in to roost at night. Nobody likes to try and sleep in a hot, stuffy room, and your chickens don’t either! Some people consider letting their chickens roost out in the enclosure but I don’t recommend that. For one, your enclosure would have to be immensely predator proof!
Two, you are encouraging a bad habit that could be hard to break come fall and winter. Finally, if your chickens are coop trained, they won’t want to stay out and roost in the enclosure! So here are some ways you can keep your chicken coop cool this summer:
- Good Ventilation– warm air rises, so ventilation near the roof is especially helpful
- Shaded Coop- a coop that is in the shade will stay cooler than if it is in direct sunlight
- Fans- fans can help circulate air, but only will work if you have good ventilation, don’t place the fans so that they are blowing directly on the chickens
- Frozen Water Bottles- frozen water bottles placed around the coop and help provide coolness to the air
- Cool Litter- litter stays cool and does not produce heat is the best during the summer, don’t use the deep litter method
#8. Lastly, chickens can stay cool by getting wet.
This last option is not a chicken’s favorite option. In general chickens try to avoid getting completely wet. Feathers take a long time to dry, and if you have ever seen a wet chicken, they don’t look like they are enjoying life at that moment! However, cool water can help bring down a chicken’s body temperature on a hot day.
My chickens do not use the water trays, shallow pools, or misters that I provide for them, so I use water when I notice that one of my hens is showing signs of heat stress or is panting excessively. I get her feet wet with cool water and also wipe down her comb and wattles with a cool rag. If your chicken is seriously suffering from being over heated, you may consider getting her completely wet in a cool bucket of water (make sure you help her dry off afterwards though!).
Hopefully these eight ways a chicken stays cool will help you keep your flock happy and healthy this summer! A chicken’s thermoregulation system can be enhanced when you know how they prefer to try and stay cool during the hot weather. Refreshing dust baths, hydrating snacks, cool water, and plenty of shade are all ways a chicken can stay cool during a hot summer day. By providing ways for your flock to stay cool, you can help them stay productive this summer and avoid heat related ailments like heat stress. Your homestead flock will appreciate the measures you take to help them stay cool this summer!
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Have a great summer and stay cool with your flock!
by Alexa
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