Chicken care can seem overwhelming for beginners, but it is not all that complicated to get started. Overheating is one of the most common worries that people have when caring for chickens. Luckily, it is not difficult to spot, and there are plenty of remedies easily available. Figuring out some essential tasks and how to stop overheating is more than enough to get started when caring for chickens.
Caring for chickens requires consistent work. Overheating signs include open-mouthed breathing, lifted wings, and a lack of eggs. Remedy overheating by providing shade and access to clean water. To care for chickens, keep their bedding and coop clean and track how they react to changes in the environment.
Getting started in chicken care is simple but still requires some extra work. Focus on setting up a suitable environment for the birds and track how they react to ensure they are not overheating or facing other issues.
Overheating Signs And What They Mean
Beginners in chicken care often worry about their chickens overheating during the summer or unusually warm days. Solving overheating issues is a great place to start when learning to care for chickens, as addressing these issues often ends up creating a great environment for raising your birds anyway.
There are four common overheating signs that signal an issue. They are:
- Open-beaked breathing
- Lifted wings
- Rapid panting
- A lack of eggs
Your chicken may also exhibit other signs if it is facing heat issues, but any combination of these four is almost a guarantee that heat issues exist. During daily checks on the chickens, which should be happening anyway, keep an eye out for any of them.
Open-beak Breathing
Open-beaked breathing is one of the first signs to notice if you suspect that your chickens are overheating. Like some other signs on this list, increased heavy breathing relates to the fact that chickens do not have sweat glands. As such, they have a difficult time wicking away heat from their bodies. Panting allows them to do so.
It can be helpful to think of this process as similar to a dog’s; after running around or on particularly hot days, a dog will open their mouth wide and pant to relieve heat. Chickens do the same thing.
Normally, chickens breathe with their beaks closed. If the beak is open, they are almost certainly suffering from overheating or another stressor. The additional reasons why your chicken may be breathing with an open-beak can be found here.
Chickens are particularly susceptible to overheating because they have a naturally high body temperature. Some open-mouthed breathing is normal and is a sign that the chicken is successfully regulating its body temperature. However, if the chicken seems to be struggling with open-mouthed breathing or is excessive with it, it is almost a sure-fire sign that they are overheating.
Lifted Wings
Lifted wings are another sign that appears thanks to the chicken’s naturally high body temperature and lack of sweat glands. However, lifted wings are also a sign thanks to the chicken’s feathers.
Feathers serve as a sort of insulator for chickens to keep heat in and regulate their temperature. Most of a chicken’s body is covered in feathers, as most people know. However, there are some areas where feathers are lighter or reduced in number; underneath the wings is one such place.
When chickens lift their wings often or for long periods, they are trying to expose additional skin to the air to radiate heat away from their bodies. You can think of the process as heat continually being released, but feathers trap it back in. By increasing the amount of skin being shown while reducing the feathers blocking it, they can more easily get rid of heat.
It is common to see birds walk around with their wings lifted or to see them consistently lift and put down their wings. Either behavior is normal and a common sign that they may be dealing with some additional heat stress.
Rapid Panting
Rapid panting is an important sign that often occurs alongside or right before open-beaked breathing. Essentially, this is when your chicken is struggling to gasp for air, usually due to humidity levels.
As the chicken tries to breathe out, the moisture in the air traps the heat. This effectively reduces the breathing, meaning the chicken has to put more work to achieve normal breathing results. This extra work takes up a lot of energy, which creates even more heat. Rapid panting is a dangerous sign that can quickly spiral out of control.
Lack Of Or Weakened Eggs
Producing eggs takes significant energy and resources for hens. The area of egg-laying most affected by overheating is ionized calcium in the chicken’s body. Essentially, ionized calcium is used for forming eggshells. If the chicken is struggling to have enough calcium in their body, they will have fewer resources to produce eggs.
Reduced calcium in the chicken’s body often results in weaker, smaller, or fewer eggs. Weaker eggs are characterized by their thinner shells or being laid with cracks already forming.
The reduction in quality eggs is directly related to the additional energy that the chicken uses to expel heat from its body. All the extra panting, open-beak breathing, and wing movement require additional fuel from food and water. If the chicken does not have ample access to either during times of immense heat, egg quality is sure to take a hit.
How To Stop Overheating And Keep A Great Coop
Overheating is dangerous, but luckily, there are some easy preventative measures that can be taken to reduce or stop overheating. The length of steps you will need to take depends on multiple factors, but your environment is the main one.
If you raise your chickens in a climate that stays warm and humid often, you will need to take additional steps to ensure they do overheat.
Stopping overheating is always best done as a management strategy. This means that it is easier to make a chicken never overheat than fix overheating after it has happened.
With this in mind, here are some of the most common ways to stop overheating:
- Always provide cool water to the flock
- Provide shaded areas around their run and coop
- Maintain a well ventilated and regulated coop
Many of these ways to prevent overheating are also ways to maintain a great coop, so learning some additional details will improve the health of any flock.
Providing Good Water For Your Chickens
Providing your flock with continuous access to fresh, clean, and cool water is essential at all times, but especially during times of the year where overheating is a concern. Chickens will not overdrink unless they are already suffering from overheating, so leaving it out is not a concern.
All water for your chickens should always be fresh and clean. Mold or other bacteria can easily find its way into water that has been out for a while, so replace the water daily as you feed the chickens or let them into their run. If it is a hot day or season, consider replacing the water twice daily.
When overheating is a concern, keep the water cool as well. Consider adding ice cubes and keeping the water in shaded areas where it will not warm quickly.
Shaded Areas Provide Respite From The Heat
Shaded areas are essential for chickens year-round but especially prove their worth during times of extreme heat or storms. Chickens often want to escape from the elements and naturally do so if they notice their bodies reacting to sun or rain.
Shaded areas do not need to be extreme to be effective; simple umbrellas, thick trees, or canopies are great options. Leave the coop open during times of heat so that the chickens may return to a fully enclosed area as respite from the heat.
If you keep a large flock, be sure that the coop is not the only shaded area available, as they will not want to crowd around and produce more heat. Let them spread out.
Well Ventilated And Insulated Coops Keep The Elements Out
Insulated coops may seem useless if you live in an area without extreme winters, but well-made coops help keep heat out, as well. Essentially, insulation is meant to regulate temperatures and provide comfortable conditions at all times. This applies to the summer as well.
Temperature regulation of the coop is one of the best ways to ensure that your chickens will not overheat. This means that they will not suffer at night, and during the day, they have continuous access to a comfortable area. Temperature regulation occurs from insulation and from ventilation. For more information on insulated coops, check this out.
Air can quickly become stale during times of extreme heat, so providing fans or cracked windows in a coop can be essential help. Remove large items or areas in the coop that may be restricting airflow to optimize everything and keep your birds happy and healthy.
By following these simple guidelines, your chickens will be happy, healthy, and calm!
