Keeping Chickens Cool when it's HOT!

The past few days at our new house have been super hot.  We haven't built the permanent chicken run yet, so my girls have a make-shift run in the back of the yard where there isn't a lot of shade in the heat of the afternoon.

I think most people don't realize chickens handle the cold much better than they handle the heat. Here in Pennsylvania it gets really humid when it's hot, so my poor girls really pant in the afternoon.  Here are a few ideas I have come up with to keep them cool.

1. This is the most important, and almost a duh: they must always have access to water. In intense heat, a chicken can go downhill really fast if they don't have access to clean water.
2. Secondly, they should have some shade that isn't the chicken coop. I've found that coops get super hot because of a lack of circulation.  Even well ventilated coops can get really hot on the hottest days.  If your birds aren't situated under trees or some other shade, get them a tarp or a shade umbrella.
3. Try freezing a cup of water in a disposable plastic cup.  On hot days around noon, I replace their water, and drop this huge chunk of ice in.  It only stays cold for about an hour, but they drink up the cold water gratefully.
4. Refrigerated watermelon is also a nice afternoon treat.  It's cold, and full of water and should help them beat the heat.
5. Frozen berries are also a great treat. They take some time for them to get into so it's also a good boredom buster.  Cold, sweet yummy treats on a hot day.  Yes, please?

During really hot days, chicken stool may be more lose than usual.  This is possibly due to all the extra water they are drinking.  When chickens are working on staying cool, they will pant, and pull their wings away from their body.  This is all healthy behavior, but be on the look out for droopy behavior, or pale comb and wattles.  If you see this, give your chicken a dip in a cool bucket of water.  

What are your ideas to keep your chickens cool on these hot summer days?

What's going on at the homestead?

Ok, ok...I can't really call myself a homesteader.  With an acre of land, a few chickens and a small garden plot I'd say I manage to grow roughly 10% of our food.  We live in a small house with a large yard, not a farm.

This week we're beginning a new project of building another chicken coop.  I've scoped out craigslist the last few weeks and managed to get 8 pallets absolutely free.  One guy was nice enough to even drop his off at our house free of charge.  He's getting a dozen eggs as soon as my girls pick up their laying...that's for sure.

I don't like giving my birds medicine of any kind, however this girl pictured to the left is sick.  My other two adult gals have started laying eggs again, almost an egg a day.  However her comb and wattles are pale red, not a bright vibrant red and she hasn't started laying yet.  This morning there was a tell tale sign of coccidiosis in some feces, and I'm almost certain it was hers.  I'm starting her on medicine for it today, because left untreated it would kill her and possibly the entire flock.

I'm also buying a few more chicks in the next few weeks from the local farm supply store.  They have a chicks night out, and I want some pretty egg layers, also known as Easter Eggers.

So overall, we've spent about $50 this weekend on supplies for coop building, and medicines necessary for the birds.  And for the next few weeks we'll have to toss out any eggs collected because we're medicating them.