Offer frozen treats for cooling relief (summer)

On hot days, provide frozen or chilled high-water-content treats like watermelon, frozen berries, cucumber, or chilled chopped vegetables. Freeze treats in ice cube trays or scatter them in shallow water for chickens to bob for, providing both cooling and enrichment.

Why It Works

Frozen treats lower core body temperature when consumed and provide hydration from their water content. The foraging activity also distracts birds from heat stress. Watermelon is especially effective because it is 92% water.

Tips

• Keep treats to less than 10% of daily diet — chickens still need their balanced layer feed for nutrition
• Avoid high-calorie scratch grains in hot weather; digesting grains generates metabolic heat
• Plain frozen corn kernels are a simple, inexpensive cooling treat most chickens love