Modern Homesteader

As the weather hit 90 this last week, I found myself walking out to the chicken coop more than usual to check on the girls. A general rule in the chicken keeping community, is that hot weather is harder on a flock than cold weather is. Heat stroke for chickens in a real thing, and I’m grateful to say I haven’t lost a chicken to this so far in my homesteading venture. It’s not the easiest part of the job, tending to your flock of ladies on a hot, sunny day. However, when I see my chickens panting, I make sure to do everything in my power to cool them down.

I’ve picked up a couple of tricks along the way that I’ve found really help the girls stay cool in the summer. Providing cool, clean water is essentially the most important factor in helping them combat the heat. This last week, I was heading out to the run every couple of hours to change their water. This year, we have 11 chickens and 4 ducks, so I also refill the duck pond throughout the day as well.

I think their favorite part of the summer is all the frozen treats they get. Yes, they’re extremely spoiled. While they do prefer huckleberries, they will also gobble up frozen blueberries as well. Frozen chunks of watermelon, strawberries, and peas are all on the menu. I will also take a muffin tin, fill it with water, fruit and meal worms and then freeze it overnight. The next day, I will place the little frozen pucks around the run, so they can all have one. Spraying the run down with water, albeit is something they hate, but they do enjoy traipsing around in the mud afterwards. They are currently counting down to their favorite season, fall.

Miriah Kardelis is a modern homesteader who is always looking for new ideas. Reach her at [email protected].