Summer Flock Care: Keeping Your Birds Cool and Comfortable

Heat stress can severely impact poultry health, production, and welfare. The thermoneutral zone, or the temperature range in which most poultry can maintain body temperature without expending additional energy, is 60-75°F. Once temperatures reach the 80s and 90s, heat stress may occur, along with decreases in feed consumption, egg quality, and production. The temperatures at which major heat stress happens can vary among species, breeds, and even individual birds.

There are several key behaviors that can help identify heat stress in poultry. Birds cannot sweat like humans, so they use evaporative cooling in the form of panting. However, this cooling method can also dehydrate them. High humidity will worsen impacts; evaporative cooling is less effective if the air is already saturated. Heat-stressed poultry may also crouch and hold their wings away from their bodies to aid heat dissipation on parts without feather coverage.

Light panting is normal for short periods of time during warmer temperatures. These birds will appear to be breathing slowly, with their mouths open. More active or heavy panting, where the wattles hit together under the jaw, especially when combined with crouching or lying, holding the wings away from the body, lethargy, and pale combs or wattles are indicators of a more severe episode of heat-stress. A hen exhibiting these behaviors is at risk of more serious effects, such as heat exhaustion, and should be cooled immediately.

Submerge the bird's body in cool water, not too cold, and massage it into the feathers to reach the skin. Allow most of the water to drip off them before putting them back into the coop, or consider keeping them in a cooler place until they stop exhibiting symptoms. Adding electrolytes to their water can also help with recovery.

Heat dissipates more quickly from highly vascularized combs and wattles. So, breeds with large combs or wattles and "hard feathers" often do better in warmer climates. Hard-feathered breeds have less down or fluff near the skin. Soft-feathered breeds have more down, which they can "fluff" to trap heat in frigid conditions, though they will also hold more heat close to the skin in hot weather. Hot weather management may look different depending on the breed.

Ventilation during the summer is crucial, especially in closed coops or cages. If adding ventilation to a structure, situate inlets or windows so that the prevailing winds will blow through them. In climates with both cold winters and hot summers, windows or ventilation that can be closed during the winter may be desired. A covering that allows airflow while keeping out wildlife, rodents, and predators, like welded hardware cloth, is still necessary when these are open. Wind turbine vents in the coop roof will also help pull hot air out of the coop when there is a breeze. Fans rated for outdoor use can aid ventilation if there's electricity in the coop or barn. When building or modifying housing structures, remember that black materials absorb heat, while white materials reflect it away from the structure.

On hot, sunny days, shade is critical for keeping poultry cool. Pastures should have some sort of structure or trees to provide shade. Shade cloths are a simple way to provide shade where needed in a pasture or run. Fence post extensions can be used to stretch shade cloths to cover a smaller run. Temporary electric fence posts may also be a good option for installing shade cloths, offering greater flexibility in larger areas. Use them on their own or fix a shade cloth to the coop or a corner of the run to form a lean-to-type structure. Add shade strategically to cover more of the house and pasture during the hottest part of the day. Adding thermometers at bird level in their coops or runs can also help to gauge what the temperature is really like in their environment.

In an attached run or around your coop, ground cover like grass will help prevent sunlight from reflecting back onto the coop. Vegetation should be kept trimmed to a reasonable length, though, to avoid impeding ventilation or attracting and harboring rodents.

Constant access to fresh, cool water is critical to keeping poultry comfortable. Birds will drink more water during the summer to maintain their body temperature and replace the water lost from panting. Consider using a drinker with insulation or refreshing water several times a day to keep it cool. Ice chests and water coolers can be modified for this purpose. Adding electrolytes to water can help replace vitamin and mineral losses during episodes of heat stress. In extreme temperatures or heat waves, adding frozen water bottles, ice cubes, or ice blocks to a water dish may help encourage poultry to drink more. During those times, frozen water bottles can also be placed in key areas of the coop, such as the nest boxes, and replaced as needed.

If heat is causing a significant drop in feed intake and a corresponding decline in egg production or quality, adjusting feeding schedules can help. Eating and digesting food uses energy and releases more heat, warming the body. Feeding birds early in the morning or late in the evening, when average temperatures are cooler, may encourage them to eat more. Taking feed away during the hottest portions of the day will help them stay cooler. Freezing treats like fruits or vegetables in water is an enrichment that will also help birds stay cool. Give these in moderation, though, to avoid diluting the diet. Avoid treats like scratch and corn during heat waves, as those will create more heat during digestion.

Misters can also help cool birds by augmenting the evaporative cooling strategies they already employ. There are small, relatively inexpensive options that attach to a garden hose. Place these strategically in an area so they do not create a mess; run them for short periods only or move them around at regular intervals. Larger, more permanent systems can be installed to cover a larger area or run on timers at regular intervals. With hard water, misters may clog easily and may require more maintenance. Garden sprinklers or hoses can also be used to wet the area around the outside of the coop and run. This form of evaporative cooling will help keep the bird area cool without over-saturating the run or pasture.

Combined, these key management strategies can help keep poultry cool, comfortable, and productive during hot summers.