cool CHOOKS
Most chicken breeds are pretty hardy, but you can still make them more comfortable by offering them some escape from the summer heat.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS by Kristi Cook
FiLiP JEdRAsZAk/shuttERstOck
Abackyard laying flock is one of the easiest types of livestock to care for, requiring little more than predator-proof housing, food, water and maybe an earthworm or two. In return, the hens provide the family with farm fresh eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That is, until the high heat of summer kicks in and heat-stressed hens take a sabbatical and drop egg production to next to nil
Once temps reach the triple digits, you’ll be lucky if you get a single egg from a flock of a dozen hens. However, with a bit of extra attention, you can ease the stress of summertime heat and help the girls continue laying those golden eggs even during the dog days of summer.
Enemy No. 1: Heat Stress
Chickens are fairly hardy creatures, often enduring crowded conditions, suboptimal nutrition and less-than-ideal housing. However, when it comes to battling heat, chickens aren’t overly adept at maintaining their cool, because chickens don’t sweat. Instead, heat is dissipated via their comb, wattles, shanks and the unfeathered areas beneath the wings. And while it is true that chickens, like dogs, are capable of panting to aide in cooling, once panting is evident, the hen is already in a state of heat stress
Because chickens don’t sweat, it’s important to recognize the contributing factors to heat stress so you know when to put your heat management practices into action. Once temperatures reach a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit, many hens begin to consume less food, resulting in a reduced level of nutrition. As protein and calcium stores become depleted, egg production and quality begin slowly dropping.
By the time summer temps reach 85 degrees, eggs become fewer, smaller and have softer shells. By 95 degrees, overall production drops significantly or stops altogether, with heat exhaustion becoming a serious threat to any unprotected birds. In regions with high humidity, chickens are in even greater danger of heat stress as heat indices often reach these thresholds much sooner and last for much longer than in less humid regions.