At Roost & Root, we’re here to be your guide on all urban chicken-keeping matters.
For summer, we wanted to give you our TOP 3 useful tips on keeping your chickens cool, comfortable and healthy during hot months. As we’re located in Central Texas, summer days tend to be well over 100 degrees so we have a ton of experience in this area, and have seen first-hand what works best in keeping your chickens from overheating. Read through our tips below or scroll to the bottom to watch the full Urban Coop Scoop episode!
TIP #1: Make sure your chickens have a consistent amount of cool, fresh water
There are a ton of watering systems and methods for chicken coops, but we definitely have our favorite… In order to keep water fresh and “poop-free”, we designed an integrated, easy-fill waterer that can be purchased with each of our coops. These keep chickens from being able to dirty the water, ensuring it stays fresh longer.
If you don’t have a watering system that protects the water from dirt and droppings, make sure to check the water supply a couple times each day to ensure there is enough clean water for your flock.
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TIP #2: Provide chickens with loose top soil
Chickens really enjoy what we call “dust bathing” in order to keep themselves cool in the heat. This is where your chickens will lay around in loose, dirt top soil. If your chickens do not already have some, it’d be worth it to provide them with some. Rolling around in it may not only help cool them off, it could also help them eliminate any mites that may be in their feathers.
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TIP #3: Create frozen ice treats for your chickens.
For the summer, we like offering our chickens strawberries and blueberries, as well as a bit of fresh mint (for an extra cooling effect.) However, any fresh fruit will work. Once you’ve chosen the fruit, cut your ingredients into small pieces that will fit in ice trays. Next, fill the trays with clean water and place in the freezer. Once your trays have frozen solid, dump the ice treats into a bowl with water outside for your chickens to enjoy.
This is a nice treat that will keep your flock hydrated and give them something to do.
If you have chicken-keeping questions, please email us and we will answer them, as well as possibly feature your question on one of our upcoming blogs!
Subscribe to our Roost & Root Scoop™ Newsletter to receive more chicken-keeping tips, tricks and resources for all seasons. Lastly, if you’d like to speak with our resident chicken expert about any of our products, don’t hesitate to give us a call!