A good rule of thumb is that when temperatures rise between 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, it is time to begin cooling off your chickens. If temperatures are closer to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or beyond, it can be dangerous.
Anything above 29 degrees Celsius is hot for a chicken, and can lead to heat stress. That said, chickens in warmer parts of the country will adapt to the hot summers, and some chicken breeds are better suited to hot weather than others.
Cold isn't really a problem for chickens - they have feathers to protect them - and tend to do well in the winter - even in very cold climates. But heat can be a very serious issue. In areas of high humidity (above 50%), temperatures above just 20ºC (68ºF) will cause some mild heat stress.
How hot of temperatures is “too hot” for chickens? In general, temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit increase the risk of heat stress and heat-related illness in chickens, including death.
There are no definitive rules about what temperature is too cold for chickens. Chickens can tolerate subfreezing temperatures, but keeping your chickens warm through the winter will help them stay healthy and productive all season long.
Chickens can survive quite well with temperatures down into the teens. In fact, if you place a thermometer in your coop overnight, you will likely find the temperature has been maintained in the thirty to forty-degree area.
When your chickens are well cared for, they can easily handle temperatures down to zero or a few degrees below zero. As temps drop to 20 or 30 degrees below zero, chickens will need special care to handle the extreme cold. To help your birds survive the cold temps, you can do the following to prepare your flock.
Provide shade by placing roofs on the run or shade cloths over the door. Add misters outside of the chicken coop that spray onto the roof or shade cover for evaporative cooling. Create adequate air flow to maintain chicken coop ventilation. Open all windows and roof vents to allow hot air and ammonia to escape.
Ensure there are windows on all four sides of the coop! Chickens are not built for hot weather; they have a core body temperature of ~107°F, they wear down jackets, and have no sweat glands. Temperatures over 85°F are endanger their lives. Windows are not a coop luxury, they are a survival essential.
Backyard hens need protection from extreme heat. Without the ability to sweat, hens can quickly overheat and succumb to high temperatures. Shade, water, and ventilation are the three most basic needs to keep chickens comfortable during the summer.
As the water evaporates off your chickens, it acts as sweat does on our bodies, and carries heat away. They may enjoy walking through a cool puddle to cool their feet off, and a nice mist can cool surrounding air temperatures by up to 20 degrees.
While spraying down the top of your coop or run can help cools things off, you shouldn't spray your chickens directly or dunk their whole bodies in water. Just the feet is sufficient! Chickens also cool down by taking dust baths.
When is it too Hot? Anytime the humidity is above 50% and temperatures rise above 77ºF, chickens can experience some level of stress. At 86ºF, they can easily suffer heat stroke. If you live in an area where humidity is not an issue, chickens can withstand temperatures of up to 100º.
Birds are subject to heat stress when the air temperature and humidity uncontrollably increase their core body temperature. Heat stress can result in panting, increased water intake and eventually death. Access to cool, fresh water, ventilation, and adjusted feed schedules can help provide relief to birds.
Optimal temperature is between 65° and 75°F. Anything above 75°F can cause an unhealthy amount of stress on the chickens, affect their organs, and potentially reduce their life expectancy. Because chickens do not have sweat glands, heat is trapped under their feathers.
Do Chickens Like Getting In Water? No, chickens with access to bodies of water are not known for getting into it. They avoid it, and also avoid rain, seeking shelter under bushes, in pens, or other sheltered areas. The reason chickens avoid rain is that their feathers are not waterproof.
Some breeds of chicken cope better than others in the heat (Black Minorcas do really well), however when the temperatures get up and over the 80Fahrenheit mark, any breed of chicken will start to suffer. This suffering can range from going off lay all the way through to, in extreme cases, dying.
"Warm water is the biggest killer of poultry. If it's a hot day then you must monitor their water and not let it get hot," she said. "Place it in the shade and add fresh ice cubes regularly."
More than you'd think! In warm weather climates, the general rule of thumb is 1 square foot of ventilation per 10 square feet of coop floor space.
The walls of the chicken coop need to have good insulation installed. This will help keep the chickens warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The insulation will also help to keep the coop at optimum humidity levels. When the chickens are kept at the optimum humidity levels they produce more eggs.
Summary. Your chickens must sleep inside their coop for their wellbeing and safety. We hope these tips help you figure out what may be causing your hens to sleep outside, and what you can do to get them back inside where it's safe.
6-week-old chickens should be fully feathered and can tolerate cooler temperatures. Birds can easily tolerate temperatures into the 50's at this age, and cold-tolerant breeds can tolerate temperatures into the 40's.
Once chicks are fully feathered, around 6-10 weeks old depending on the breed, they can go outside as long as the temperatures are mild (at least 50 degrees F).