Simple Ways To Keep Animals Cool In Extreme Heat
We’ve officially hit summer time here in the Sierra’s and it never fails to impress me how hot it can really get. The last two days we’ve been topping out at 111 degrees (and it’s only July. August is our hottest month)
Animals like chickens have a base body temperature that ranges from 105-107 degrees - adding extreme heat or humidity to that number increases their chance of stroke or disease. Luckily the ways to keep our livestock cool in the hot summer months is endless and is only capped by the imagination!
Here are some ways we’ve done it in the past, and some simple ways we continue to do it (if we can remember to think ahead).
F R O Z E N W A T E R J U G S
We have a spare fridge in the Large extra room that used to be a garage. We keep things for the animals inside of it such as emergency medications (emergency because we don’t typically treat our animals with conventional medications unless life is threatened). We also keep frozen jugs on hand in the winter as well as cool or frozen treats.
There are many ways to use the jugs.
You can add them to their watering troughs as a big ice cube. Animals do not have sweat glands and so they must rely on outside sources to cool down their body or at the very least, help maintain a normal body temprature.
You can hang the jugs inside of the coop or shelter and place a fan behind them. This acts as sort of a “swamp cooler” bringing down the temp significantly.
Set them down around their shaded lounging spots or in their houses. They love to lick up the run off, press their bodies against them or just lick the condensation.
I C E
Purchasing bags of ice to fill troughs is another way, however it isn’t as cost effective as freezing your own jugs.
C O O L E D OR F R O Z E N F R U I T S + S N A C K S
Another way I love to spoil the animals is with frozen fruits or veggies. Chickens will eat pretty much anything and so fruits is the way I like to present snacks OR another unpopular item (if your not trying to raise vegetarian chickens) is frozen organ meats. organ meats are exploding with bioavailable vitamins, minerals, vitamin A and other essential vitamins. This turns your chicken’s eggs into a literal super food. When choosing foods, choose ones with a high water content / hydration factor such as watermelon, zucchini, dragon fruit, blueberries etc.
As far as other barnyard animals which will more than likely be ruminant - chilled veggies and some fruits like apples are a great way to help them keep their core temp down.
F R O Z E N M I N T L E A V E S
Another fun way is to add frozen (or non frozen) mint leaves to their water OR add it into treats. Mint has a cooling effect on the body. Mint does not ACTUALY make the body colder however, the menthol triggers cold- sensitive receptors in the skin resulting in a cooling sensation that feels fresh.
DO NOT FEED MINT to your horses, dogs or cats. It is toxic.
S H A D E
This seems like a no brainer, but shade is ESSENSIAL to your barnyard animals. As mentioned before, their body temperature is already in the 100’s and even offering something as simple as shade can have a huge impact on their healh.
THINGS I DONT THINK MATTER ALL THAT MUCH
FANS ALONE: For me, what good does it do to have hot hair being blown onto me? If it makes no difference on me, it wont really matter to my animals who are covered in fur and feathers.
WATER ALONE: Water is obviously going to heat up along with the environment, water is absolutely essential however, cold water is better.
RANDOM ICE BLOCKS: Folks like to set out giant frozen ice blocks. They may peck or lick at it here and there however, mostly it will just melt and make a giant mess.
