It’s been a hot summer, which is a welcome change from the dreary, rain-soaked one we experienced last year, so mind you, I am not complaining. We are fortunate to have a well-insulated home with central air conditioning, and we use it when necessary! Today is definitely one of those necessary days. But while I’m comfortable, here in the house, overseeing our first-ever hatching in our incubator (more on that later!) I worry about all of our birds outside getting too warm.
Fortunately, I’m following Renee Caldwell (a.k.a. “henthusiasts”) on Twitter. She is an experienced chicken owner, and if you need proof, you’d best check out her articles for the Kansas City Examiner regarding Urban Chickens. She provides a lot of great ideas and advice on raising chickens. One article that struck me as very timely today includes ideas on how to keep your chickens cool on a hot day: The Heat and Your Chickens. It’s worth your time to click that link and put her advice to use!
I certainly did, and one of the things I am trying is employing our son’s old kiddie pool as a cooling foot bath for our flock. I’ve had to lift the two chickens in these photos into the pool; they weren’t going in on their own. But they certainly seemed to enjoy it, as soon as they realized it was helping them to get relief from the heat! They each stayed in for a few minutes, making contended noises. I’m hoping that everyone catches on and goes in on their own. I’m going out and emptying/refilling it frequently, because the water heats up quickly in the sun, and I want it to be refreshing to them. There’s only about an inch or two of total depth.
So, fellow chicken owners, you should really follow Renee on Twitter. She’ll keep you informed of new articles she’s written, helpful links, and other handy tidbits of information!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I hear some pips and peeps in the incubator that I need to investigate!
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