Chickens are sociable animals that require little care. Especially on a warm summer day, it is nice to watch the chickens roaming around outside. Most chickens often find warm weather a bit less comfortable. That is why it is important to take some extra precautions for chickens during the summer days. After all, good care of chickens during hot days ensures happier and healthier chickens that can then make you happy again with a nice fresh egg every day.
Chickens during the summer days
During the summer hot days, the care of the chickens needs some extra attention. Chickens can withstand cold winter days better than chickens during the summer days. Chickens do not really like heat and will therefore prefer to be sheltered on hot days. In addition, the chickens must have sufficient drinking water, the coop must be well ventilated and eggs must be collected daily.
Enough water
Chickens, like humans, are made up of at least half of water. Sufficient fresh drinking water chicken during the summer days is therefore of vital importance. A chicken drinks about twice as much as it eats. In warm weather, the amount of water required can double again. On a hot summer day, a chicken will drink about 400 to 500 milliliters of water.
The drinking water must be in an easily accessible place and pollution with sand or feed must be prevented. Drinking water should also be changed every day to prevent illness. Refreshing is especially important at high temperatures.
Placing the drinking trough in the shade makes it more pleasant for the chickens to drink and the temperature of the water will rise less quickly to too high temperatures.
A shortage of drinking water will usually be noticed first by a reduced laying. Chickens that do not have enough drinking water can also become drowsy and groggy. Dehydration of a chicken can also be recognized by less elastic skin or dull eyes that are located deeper in the eye sockets.
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Shelter
Chickens that roam freely in the garden can usually find sufficient shelter under trees and shrubs. If the chickens are in a run with insufficient shelter, you can choose to cover part of the run with, for example, a tarpaulin. It is also possible to put plants in the run.
This planting must be carefully selected because unsuitable planting will not survive long. In addition, some plants are poisonous to chickens. Finally, a night coop on legs can provide sheltered places under the coop.
night cage
A night loft often gets very hot on hot summer days. Especially lofts that are in the sun can get very hot. Therefore, always make sure that the night coop is in a sheltered place and leave it open as much as possible during the summer day so that the heat can get out. Close the coop as late as possible at night, but never leave it open at night to avoid unwanted intruders.
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It is also possible to let chickens sleep outside at night. Chickens that sleep outside protect themselves from predators by, for example, sleeping high in a tree, flying away, or sitting still so that they are not noticed. Chickens in a run have less chance of survival if a predator can get into a run. Only allow chickens to sleep in the run if it is completely predator-proof.
dust bath
Chickens like to take a dust bath, but they will appreciate it more in warm weather. Chickens can take a dust bath between the beds. If you prefer not to, you can make a dust bath for the chickens with white sand, earth and lava meal, or poultry lice powder to combat lice. In hot weather, chickens are more likely to suffer from lice, so it is good to prevent this from happening. To prevent a mud puddle, cover the dust bath when it rains.
broodiness
At high temperatures, chickens become broody faster. Some breeds will be more affected by this than others. If you have a breed of chicken that goes broody quickly, such as a Wyandotte, take extra precautions throughout the summer to prevent broodiness. Broody chickens do not lay eggs and neglect themselves. Collecting the eggs once or twice a day will make the hens less likely to go broody. If a hen has gone broody, there are a number of ways to make the hen go broody.
Firepit or barbecue
Finally, care should be taken when lighting a fire pit or barbecue after a hot summer day. Free-ranging chickens can come unnoticed near the fire. They are not likely to seek fire because of the heat and danger, but ash lying around while still hot can injure the chickens.
In addition, chickens love ashes and they do not always notice when it is still too warm. Therefore, always make sure that the chickens cannot come near the fire and do not let the chickens roam freely again until the fire has been completely extinguished.
