Methods For Helping Chickens Stay Cool During The Heat
The summer heat can take a toll on chickens, leading to heat stress and potentially fatal health conditions. To ensure that your chickens remain healthy and productive during the heat, it’s crucial to take steps to keep them cool and hydrated.
The team at Dr. Connie’s Natural Solutions discusses some effective methods for helping chickens stay cool during the heat. From providing adequate shade to adjusting their diet with animal probiotics, we will explore different ways to keep your flock comfortable and thriving, even in the hottest temperatures.
What Happens To Chickens During The Heat
Understanding how chickens regulate their body temperature in hot weather is crucial. While chickens don’t sweat, they use several techniques such as spreading their wings and feathers to cool themselves off, panting, and vibrating their throat muscles to facilitate the evaporation of warm moisture.
What You Can Do To Help Chickens Stay Cool
Add Shaded Areas
To ensure your chickens remain cool in hot weather, it’s important to provide them with shady and cool resting spots. This can be achieved through various means such as planting trees, awnings, umbrellas, or keeping them inside their coop.
Ensure They Have Enough Water
Water is essential for chickens, and it’s important to ensure there are enough waterers available, keep them topped up, and place them in shaded areas. Adding ice to the water can be beneficial, and a shallow pool of water can also help cool the birds down. It is suggested to add electrolytes, vitamins, and probiotic supplements to the water, particularly during times of heat stress, to keep the birds healthy and hydrated.
Use Animal Probiotics
To reduce stress in chickens during summer, adding animal probiotics to their water can help with digestion by providing beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.. Adding probiotics to the water for three days each month can build up good bacteria in the digestive system.
It is recommended to add both electrolytes and probiotics to the watering schedule during summer and suggests using a combination pack of both supplements to keep the chickens healthy. This is an inexpensive and straightforward way to ensure the flock thrives.
Use Electrolytes
Electrolytes and probiotics are important for optimizing chicken productivity and health during hot weather. Electrolytes are made up of minerals and alkalizing agents that help regulate fluid balance in the body, and impact hydration, blood acidity, and muscle functions during heat stress.
As with humans and other animals, chickens use electrolytes more quickly in hot weather, making it essential to include an electrolyte additive in their water during heat stress. Adding electrolytes and probiotics to the chicken’s water can help maintain stable levels, and electrolytes should be added directly to the water.
Purchase Our Dr. Connie’s Natural Solutions Animal Probiotics!
Help keep your chickens cool this summer with our all-natural animal probiotics and electrolytes. Purchase today or contact us for more information!