11 Best Tips to Keep Chickens Cool in Summer

Do you want to keep chickens cool in the summer? If yes, then do not worry.

The summer heat may be hard for backyard chickens.

If you do not keep your flock cool, they may die from heat stress as temperatures rise.

Chickens survive in cold temperatures but struggle in hot environments.

Chickens do not have sweat glands; they control their body temperature in other ways.

Chicken owners must offer a cool environment in their coop and run for their flock in hot climates.

Also read: Best heat hardy chickens

11 Best Tips to Keep Chickens Cool in Summer

Chickens enjoy human company a lot. However, they do not survive in extreme heat conditions and may cause various health issues.

Here are the best 11 tips for keeping chickens cool in the summer-

1. Provide Shade to the Chickens

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To keep your chickens healthy in summer, provide them shade. If chickens are exposed to extreme heat continuously, they can get heat stress and heatstroke like humans.

Protecting your hens from direct sunlight lets them manage their body temperature. Shade prevents overheating by restricting direct sunlight.

Hens can exhibit symptoms such as panting, lethargy, reduced egg production, and mortality in extremely hot climates.

The best idea is to use trees or plants to shade your chickens. Consider planting shade-giving trees in a large backyard area.

Large-leaf trees like oak or maple help shade your chickens during the hottest times of the day. Moreover, growing plants around their coop or run can give daytime shade.

Another option is to cover their living space using tents or tarps. These tarpaulin sheets can be safely attached around their coop or run to block direct sunlight.

Remember that shade alone may not be enough; you should also focus on ventilation in chicken coops. Good ventilation decreases heat inside the coop and reduces ammonia build-up.

Install windows or vents in their coop to let fresh air flow during hot days. You can also use a good quality exhaust fan for coop ventilation.

2. Provide Fresh and Cold Water

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In the summer, chickens need fresh, cool water. Like people, chickens need to stay hydrated to stay healthy. You can help them beat the heat and avoid dehydration by providing clean water.

Start by regularly examining the water source for pollution or stagnation. It’s also important to clean and refill poultry waterers daily, especially in hot weather, as germs grow rapidly.

You may cover or insulate their water containers to keep them cool all day. This will slow water heating in the sun. Add ice cubes if required.

Providing several water sources in their coop and run is essential. This assures all chickens get equal water and reduces fighting.

In the summer, watch your chickens’ water consumption. If they do not drink enough water, it may cause tiredness, a lack of appetite, and diminished egg production.

Add poultry-specific electrolytes to their drinking water. These supplements replace minerals lost via dehydration and help maintain hydration. 

3. Suitable Cold Treats

Several chilly treats help keep your hens cool and happy in the summer. Watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, corn, and peas are best to give in frozen form. This frozen treat cools your hens and gives them a healthy snack.

Another fun chicken treat is a handmade ice block. Mix water with herbs, fruits, or chicken feed to make it. Pour the mixture into a jar and freeze until solid. After freezing, place the ice block in your chicken coop or run for them to eat.

Your hens can enjoy cool watermelon slices as well as frozen treats. Watermelon’s high water content hydrates and cools hens. Slice watermelon and chill before serving to your flock.

Summertime yogurt is another great chilly treat for hens. Yogurt helps fowl maintain body temperature and contains probiotics. You may freeze yogurt in ice cube trays to give birds a refreshing snack.

The right choice of treats helps increase a chicken’s body temperature. In the summer, it is necessary to keep your chickens cold to survive the heat. Supply some frozen treats to the chickens.

Here is the complete list if you want to know more about chicken treats.

4. Try to Store Their Feed at a Lower Temperature

You should take some necessary steps to ensure the nutrition of the chickens. The breeder needs to improvise the coop to have a nutrition-based healthy diet. Chicken food requires one hour inside a refrigerator. 

Providing them with frozen treats can help lower their temperature during the summer. The frozen treats are good for birds in hot climates.

5. Check Out the Ventilation of the Coop

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Providing proper ventilation in your poultry coop during the summer is important. Good ventilation in the chicken coop will keep your flock healthy and cool.

Ventilation reduces heat stress and maintains the correct coop environment in extremely hot weather. 

Check for airflow-blocked areas to allow fresh air in and stale air out. If necessary, build vents or increase their size to increase ventilation. In summer, you also need to control direct sunlight.

A little sunshine is good for hens, but too much heat is bad. Cover the coop with green netting cloth or reflective materials to reduce direct heat.

Take advantage of natural air and build windows in your chicken coop. Creating a cross-airflow on opposite sides of the coop improves airflow.

Increased humidity and heat inside the coop make chickens uncomfortable and cause respiratory issues. You can install a thermometer and hygrometer in the coop to monitor these factors easily.

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6. Regular Cleaning of the Coop Is Necessary

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Cleaning the chicken coop in summer keeps your birds comfortable and healthy. Regularly cleaning the coop reduces heat and makes it more comfortable for your flock.

Droppings, feathers, and bedding may make the coop humid and damp, especially in summer. Stagnant air makes it difficult for chickens to pant or stretch their wings to cool themselves.

Cleaning and changing coop bedding helps to absorb heat and prevents ammonia fumes from worsening heat stress.

Mites, lice, and flies are annoying and heat the coop. Removing dirty bedding and leftover feed limits the spread of unwanted pests and health risks to your chickens.

Here is our complete guide on how to clean a chicken coop.

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7. Get a Mud Puddle or a Kiddie Pool

Do chickens like kiddie pools? Yes, of course.

When the temperature rises, it will be wiser to put out the kiddie pools for your bakyard. A mud puddle or a kiddie pool is the best chicken treatment. It helps them decrease their temperature.

Do you want to know how? The chickens love to keep their bodies inside a little layer of water in the kiddie pool.

Water is the best thing that helps them decrease their body temperature. You can prepare a muddle area if you do not have a pool.

8. The Application of Sprinklers Will Be Great

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Water treatment is necessary. Sprinklers can be the best choice to keep down the heat inside the coop.

These are very useful during the summer to install the sprinklers on your poultry farm. Furthermore, they create a comfortable zone for your backyard flocks.

The water droplets evaporate at once after they get released from the sprinklers. This will keep the environment cool inside the farm despite the outside climate change.

Do not wet your litter. It is recommended only to wet the run areas of small farms.

9. Provide Enough Space for a Dust Bath

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The chickens use the dust bath to make themselves clean and cool. This sounds weird to human beings. However, this is not the same for chickens.

They love it and use it a lot. The breeder should provide enough dust space near the coop so that the chickens can enjoy it.

But it would help to ensure the dust bath was under the shade. Keep them away from the sunlight.

You can create a suitable dust bath space by adding a sturdy tote bin, plastic tub, or a kiddie pool with fine sand.

10. Dip Your Chicken in Water

This is an effective method for your chickens in the summer when they do not look good or cannot cool themselves; step in.

How to give a chicken a bath in the summer? The breeder should dunk the chicken in mild cold water (not too cold). The temperature should be 85 °F. 

70 seconds will be the best time for each chicken. This is an annoying method but quite effective for your dizzy co-op members.

11. Keep Some Summer-Friendly Breeds

Are you confused about which breeds are the best in summer? This article can surely help with climate change during summer.

The hot temperature is not that good for all chicken breeds. However, some breeds can tolerate such climate changes.

White Plymouth Rock, Leghorns, Welsummers, and Rhode Island Reds are the best breeds for summer tolerant. The farmers can go for these breeds during the summer.

Conclusion

It is hard for the breeders to keep chickens cool in the summer, but not impossible. These are the best tips to keep your chicken coop fresh and healthy. You can surely apply them to your coop and enjoy the outcome.

Supply them with sufficient fresh air, cold water, and frozen treats, as these are the vital methods to grow them in difficult climate dilemmas.

Exhaust fans, chicken coop fans, and gadgets like water sprinklers are the best equipment for your coop in the summer. 

These tips will surely help your flocks keep cool in the extreme summer. We will be happy to hear from you if you need any clarification about keeping chickens cool in summer.