When the weather heats up, so do your hens, so it’s important to keep them as chilled as possible. There are several steps you can take to achieve this including:
- Ensure access to fresh, cool water at all times. Replenish twice a day if it gets warm.
- Your hens will need a shady area to cool down in during the hot midday sun. An area underneath their hen house, if this is raised, is ideal.
- Provide dust bathing spots for your hens – they like to get ‘clean’ when the weather is warm.
- Ensure your hen house is well ventilated during the night – use wire mesh across windows if you’re worried about predators entering.
- Remember to treat for red mite! The bane of all hen keepers, these little critters will undoubtedly make an appearance over the summer months. Use a powder such as diatomaceous earth and a disinfectant spray to keep them under control.
- If you’ve just re-homed some feather bare girls remember they may need suncream on bald patches, just like us!
- Finally, your girls will go crazy for some sweetcorn or melon frozen inside an ice cube as a tasty treat! Just make sure the sweetcorn has been cooked properly before freezing: www.gov.uk/government/news/listeriosis-cases-linked-to-frozen-sweetcorn
