Yesterday, it was over 102 degrees Fahrenheit and our animals were certainly feeling it. We have 14 hens and 6 rabbits that needed to cool down.

Chickens can’t sweat; rather, they disperse heat through their combs and wattles. They also pant or hold their wings out; its actually quite warm beneath chicken feathers. That’s great for raising chicks, not so much for trying to stay cool in triple digit heat.

Three nestbox options and Jersey feels like she must join Squeaker instead of having her own space. See how their breaks are open? They are feeling a bit warm!

This past weekend, I did a few different things to help them stay more comfortable. I would periodically wet down their chicken run so they could scratch in the moist earth, kept water in a ceramic flower pot base so they could wade in it and then I made chicken treats. I found this idea online about freezing vegetables that chickens will eat in muffin pans. Seemed easy enough.

I grabbed a small muffin pan, filled the cups 2/3 of the way with water and added frozen peas. I set the tray in the freezer and waited overnight.

I opted for frozen peas this time but you could use other vegetables, berries, or pieces of fruit.

Running water over the backside of the pan, I was able to remove the frozen pea treats quite easily. The chickens certainly seemed interested when I set them down!

The rabbits are a little harder to keep cool because they are wearing fur. Rabbits cool through their ears so breezes help as well as through breathing. It’s almost like panting. I set up box fans to help with air circulation. Their pens are set up underneath trees but it got rather still, a surprise considering how windy it usually is at our place.

The one baby rabbit that survived from a litter of eight. He’s a little spoiled.

I also use frozen water bottles in their pens. They can lay alongside them for the extra coolness. In the past, I was able to pick up floor tiles for cheap and utilize those as well. I lost those in one of our moves but may look at getting more soon. Although I don’t wet down my rabbits, I do run water on the roofs of their pens and underneath so it creates a temporary coolness until it dries up. The rabbits aren’t keen on the water but their breathing becomes less stressed.

As we are only in June, it is the beginning of the hot season in Texas and it may require some ingenuity to keep our animals (and ourselves) comfortable outside as the season progresses. I will keep you updated with other methods we utilize along the way.

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