The heat of the summer is on. You might think that chickens don’t have a problem with hot weather, but you’d be wrong. Even though their natural environment is relatively hot, that doesn’t mean chickens have the ability to handle it by themselves. Humans living in hotter climates have found ways to beat the heat. But how do chickens cool off?
In this article, we will find out how chickens cool themselves and what you can do to help keep them cool when the weather is hot.
How Do Chickens Cool Themselves?
Holding Their Wings Away From Their Bodies
Chickens are birds, and as such, they have a number of adaptations that help them with temperature regulation.
Chickens have sweat glands under their wings and on the back of their legs. Chickens also pant to cool off. Chickens also can’t fly as fast or as far as other birds — they’re not built for long-distance travel. The shape of their feet and toes also makes it difficult for them to walk in hot sand or mud.
Chickens keep cool by holding their wings away from their bodies when they’re resting, reducing heat absorption from the sun. This is called behavioral thermoregulation and it’s common in many animals that don’t have sweat glands or panting mechanisms like dogs or cats do.
Standing With Their Feet Close Together
Blood vessels in their legs contract when the temperature gets too high or too low. This helps prevent excess blood flow to the extremities and retains body heat in their core.
Chickens keep cool by standing with their feet close together and fluffing up their feathers to increase air circulation. They also pant like dogs or cats and spread out their wings to let air circulate between them.
Chickens have a unique circulatory system that allows them to control blood flow to different parts of their bodies based on need. For example, during extreme cold, they can restrict blood flow to the extremity feathers and mucous membranes while maintaining normal circulation elsewhere in the body (such as brain tissue).
Panting With Their Beaks Open
Chickens pant to keep themselves cool. They do this by opening their beaks wide and breathing in air quickly. This causes evaporation of moisture on their tongue and upper mouth, which cools them down. The same process is also used by dogs when they are hot or tired.
Chickens have sweat glands in their feet, which they use to help keep cool during hot weather or after exercise.
Through Evaporative Cooling
Chickens keep cool through evaporative cooling. Chickens are very adaptable and can survive even in hot weather, but they do need some help staying cool.
Evaporative cooling is a process that uses water evaporation to cool the surface of the skin, which reduces body temperature. The air that passes over the moist skin also takes on some of its heat, so this system works best when there is plenty of open space around the chicken house. If your chickens live in an enclosed coop with no ventilation, they will not be able to take advantage of evaporative cooling.
A good way to encourage evaporative cooling is by providing ample water for your chickens’ drinking and bathing needs. You can also install misters in their coop to spray them down with mist as they enter or exit their sleeping quarters at night or when it gets too hot during the day.
How Do You Tell If Your Chickens Are Too Hot?
Chickens are not as hardy as you may think. They can die in heat and cold, and it’s not always obvious when they’re suffering. Here are some signs that your chickens are too hot:
1)They’re panting heavily, which is an effort to cool themselves through evaporation. They might also be fanning their wings to increase the evaporation rate. This is a sign that they are too hot and should be allowed to rest in a shaded area until they cool down.
2)They have trouble breathing and flutter their wings continuously as a result of being overheated. It’s important to take notice of this behavior because it can lead to death if it goes on for too long.
3)They have stopped eating and drinking water. This is another symptom of being too hot and can lead to death if not remedied quickly enough.
Can You Spray Chickens With Water?
Yes, you can spray chickens with water.
If your chickens have dust bath areas, you can sprinkle some water on the ground to help them cool off. This will also help them to keep their feathers clean. If you have a waterer that allows you to set a timer or shut off automatically, you can use this to give them water at certain times of the day when they need it most.
Some people do not recommend spraying chickens with water because they may be able to get too cold and sick if they are sprayed directly in the face. However, if you use a fine mist sprayer and hold it far enough away from the bird, there should not be any problems with this practice.
You can also give your chickens ice cubes made from frozen water so that they have something to drink when they are hot.
What Temperature Is Too Hot For Chickens?
The best temperature for chickens is 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The air should be dry and well ventilated. When the temperature goes up over 85 degrees, chickens are more susceptible to heat stress. They can’t cool themselves by sweating as humans do and their bodies can’t regulate their body temperature as efficiently as we can.
If you live in a hot climate or have an un-shaded coop with no air circulation, there are steps you can take to keep your chickens cool. Add ice or frozen water bottles to their water buckets and provide plenty of shade in the form of trees or slats from old pallets. If your chickens live in an enclosed run, make sure there is plenty of ventilation through the mesh wire walls and roof.
If your flock is being kept in a shed or garage where there isn’t much ventilation, open doors, and windows whenever possible to increase airflow through the building. If you have an electric fan available, place it near your birds so they can get some relief from the heat.
How To Keep Chickens Cool In a Heatwave
Provide Cool, Clean Water
The summer months can be a tough time for chickens. They need to stay cool, but you also want them to have access to water. One way to help your chickens stay cool is by providing them with a good source of cool water.
Chickens will drink more when it’s hot outside, and they’ll also drink more if they’re given adequate water space. You might be tempted to just leave their waterers out in the sun, but this can actually increase their risk of dehydration. Instead, try these tips:
1) Provide shade for your chickens’ water dish(es). This can be as simple as placing an umbrella over the top of a dish or bowl (just make sure it’s not blocking the chickens’ access).
2) If possible, place your waterer in an area that gets some shade during the day (though not so much that it’s completely shaded during all times of day).
3) Consider adding ice cubes or frozen fruit to your chickens’ water dishes — just remember that this should only be done occasionally and not daily (otherwise it could give them diarrhea).
Provide Sufficient Coop Airflow
Chickens are especially vulnerable to heat. They can die from overheating or from being exposed for too long to temperatures in excess of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to keep chickens cool is by providing sufficient coop airflow.
A chicken coop needs to have enough air circulation for it to be comfortable for your chickens. Do not place your chicken coop directly on the ground; put it on blocks, bricks or cement blocks so that air can circulate underneath it, which will help keep your chickens cool. You can also provide a fan inside the coop and use a small hole in the wall to direct the air into the hen house on hot days.
Check The Coop Flooring
A clean, dry coop floor is a must for healthy chickens. That can be difficult to maintain in the heat of summer. Coop floors get wet from droppings, birds standing in water and rain, and it can be hard to keep them dry. If you are concerned about the health of your flock, then here are some tips on how to keep your chickens cool in the summer:
Remove all dirt and litter from the coop floor before hatching eggs or letting chickens out to lay. This will help prevent adding bacteria to the nest boxes that can cause egg binding and other health issues with your flock.
Clean out any water that gets on the ground with a mop or towel. Chickens will often stand in puddles or mudholes if given an opportunity so make sure they don’t have access through gaps under doors or windows where they could get trapped.
Cover any gaps between walls and floors with hardware cloth so that pests like mice can’t squeeze through into nests or coops during cold winters (or hot summers).
Make sure there are no holes in walls or floors that pests could use as entryways into your chicken house
Let your chickens free range
The best way to keep chickens cool is to let them free range in the yard during the summer months. This allows them to find shade under trees or bushes, and forage for insects and plants that grow in your yard. The more variety of plants and insects that your chickens eat, the healthier their eggs will be!
If you don’t have a backyard, or if it’s too hot outside during the day to let your chickens free range safely (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), then there are other ways you can help keep them cool.
Ensure low nesting boxes and perches
Chickens need to be able to get out of the sun whenever they want to. This means providing them with low nesting boxes so they can get out of the sun while they are laying eggs.
You also want to provide perches that are off the ground so that any chicks who fall off can get back up without being attacked by an adult chicken.
Provide Shades
One of the best things you can do for your chickens during the summer is to provide them with ample shade. If they spend all day in direct sunlight, they will be at risk of heat stress, which can lead to death. Even if they’re not spending all day in the sun, shade helps keep them cool and comfortable during the hottest parts of the day.
Conclusion
Chickens have many ways to cool down. They can spread their wings, which increases the surface area of the bird and allows for better heat transfer. They can use their wings to flap, which creates a breeze and helps them evaporate moisture from the skin. Chickens will also pant with the mouth open, allowing for extra evaporation of water from the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat.
