I’m always amazed at all that needs to be done the week before a poultry show. Every show we’ve attended we have learned more efficient ways to get the birds looking their best, sometimes it has been by learning the hard way. Hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes and our successes as we give you a glimpse at what the week before a show looks like on our little farm… Read Article
Oh my! 116 today and keeping chickens in this ridiculous heat adds to my chore list when it’s just so hard to be outdoors. But for the love of chickens, I pour on the sunscreen, hide from the sun under a giant umbrella, and head out to the barn. By 8 AM it’s already in the 90s and too hot for the flock to be confined. It’s most certainly better to allow chickens to dig holes, seek out shade, and follow their instincts on ways to best battle the heat. Of course, as a desert dweller, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help them find relief.
A Few Tips, Create a Cooling Station
Here’s what I do. There’s a portable mist system in the shade and a low-sided shallow pool with a few bricks inside for them to sit on. The bricks stay cool, some use it, and some don’t. None of the birds seem to fancy the mist system, nevertheless, it does cool the immediate air by about 20 degrees, so I entice them to the area with fresh greens or fruit.
Layer pellets are available, but kept in their coop where the temperature is undesirable. Considering there is corn in feed, it should be kept at a minimum because corn produces heat. Some chicken keepers will pull feed completely during the day when it’s this hot. But I find this unnecessary since chickens limit their food intake by choice… at least mine do.
Predators are a worry when the chickens are allowed to free roam, but let’s face it, confined chickens in 116+ temperatures is a death sentence in these parts. I take my chances, keep an eye on them, and hope during the day predators won’t be actively looking for food until sundown.
Chickens like to dig holes, don’t discourage this. It’s their instinct to find cooler ground. They will look for anywhere water has been and choose that spot as the ideal place to settle into. Help them out, dump their drinkers in the same place every day, or leave a hose in the shade on a tiny drip.
Keep the drinkers clean and offer COLD water during the day. Chickens aren’t fond of hot drinking water. Large drinkers will stay colder longer, but I also use shallow buckets or bowls so I can add a chunk of ice during the day. The worst choice for a water source (where it’s super hot) is nipple drinkers, here’s why…
Nipple drinkers are neat gadgets, but if you live in an oven, forget using them, especially the type with those tiny drinker cups. The water in the small cups gets way too hot and chickens avoid using them. Using nipples is just as useless in my opinion. The water in the container itself may be cool, but the water sitting in the lines heats up fast, and your birds won’t drink enough to stay hydrated.
Remember, the sun moves, either you have to move your drinker to keep it in the shade, or provide water in various locations to assure there is cool water throughout the day. Nipple drinkers are not usually movable, they’re meant to be low maintenance, fill ’em and leave ’em… which is exactly why they’re not used on my farm.
Keeping your birds hydrated with cool water is absolutely vital… and just to make sure they have enough fluid intake, offer up some watermelon!
Building a coop can be fun using scrap materials, brainstorming ways to be creative, and saving money. But all too often where you scrimped ends up costing you more later. One decision you might make, for example, is to choose chicken wire for your flock’s enclosure. It’s cheap and easy to handle, but in the long run, you’ll find it wasn’t worth saving those pennies.
First of all, chicken wire is NOT predator-proof. Countless animals can chew right through the stuff. Secondly, if you’re penny-wise, you certainly aren’t going to fancy wasting expensive chicken feed.
Wild birds are the biggest culprit in feed waste. One little sparrow might not eat much, but that tiny sparrow will soon bring hundreds of friends who will devour 3 pounds or more in just one afternoon. These little guys can fit through the holes in chicken wire, not only costing you money, but they’ll poop everywhere. I think we can both agree, we don’t need any more cleaning added to the chore list.
I’ve said this before, but it’s just plain smarter to build everything right the first time. Use hardware cloth on chicken coops, and enclosures. It’s stronger, and an extra perk is its tidy appearance. The ends can be finished nicely, it doesn’t bend making your coop look like a train wreck as time goes by.
You’ll find hardware cloth at Home Depot or similar building supply stores. Check your local feed stores too, sometimes they’ll sell by the foot so you don’t have to buy more than you need.
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 