The Top Frozen Treats for Chicken
Summer might be on its way out, but if you're planning ahead for next year, there's one thing that should be a top priority - figuring out how to keep your chickens nice and cool when the weather outside starts to heat up.
One of my favorite "hacks," if you can call it that, for raising chickens is to provide them with some frozen treats. Not only does this help keep them nice and cool, but it can also give them such much-needed entertainment during the long, tedious dog days of summer.
Keep reading to learn more in this guest post from our friend Jessica R.!
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Raising chickens can get complicated when the weather gets hot. Understanding how to help your chickens stay cool and comfortable is essential to ensuring their needs are met, and their health remains at peak condition. So, how do frozen treats help with this?
Frozen treats for chickens are a great way to help the birds cool off on a hot summer day. Depending on what you make them with, they can offer excellent nutritional benefits, too. It’s important to monitor your flock for health changes and seek help when needed.
This article will cover the benefits of frozen treats for chickens and what kind of treats you can give your chickens.
Read on for everything you need to know about giving frozen treats to your flock during the high heat of summer.
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What Frozen Treats Can I Give My Chickens?
Why Give Your Chickens Frozen Treats?
Many who raise chickens are located in areas where the summer temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit and stay there for a good portion of the season. When it’s that hot out, chickens are at risk of overheating, just like humans and other animals.
Keeping Chickens Cool
Providing them with delectable frozen treats will help them stay cool. However, it’s important to offer these treats in moderation, as too much too fast can induce temperature shock in the birds.
It’s important to remember that hot weather is significantly harder to deal with than cold weather for chickens. They’ll need plenty of fresh, clean, cool water.
For free-range chickens, you’ll also need to provide plenty of shade throughout the yard. Penned chickens will need all the windows of their coop open to allow for maximum ventilation and prevent the air from heating too much.
Timing is Everything
It’s important to provide the treats at the right time of day. Offer them before or after the high heat of the day. During the hottest points of the day, it’s best to not bother your chickens unless there is a serious problem.
At that time, they’re in the shade, trying to maintain their body temperatures and remain comfortable. Disturbing them could negatively impact their health. It’s important to provide them with frozen treats to help prevent heat distress.
While you are offering frozen treats to your chickens, it’s important to watch for signs that any of them have overheated and need immediate medical attention. First, pay attention to signs of panting and rapid breathing.
Like other animals, chickens will pant with wide-open beaks. They do this to release their internal heat. Chickens don’t have a means of sweating, and their only skin-air contact is at their combs and wattles.
Pale Wattles and Combs: Heat Stress
The next thing to look for is pale combs or wattles on any of your chickens. A lot of extra body heat leaves through these areas, which can cause them to turn pale. Keeping these extremities cool will help the chickens regulate their body temperatures.
If you see your chickens with their wings lifted off their bodies and their feathers standing upright, they’re trying to catch a cool breeze. This positioning also allows them to release trapped air from around their bodies.
Because activity creates more heat, chickens experiencing heat stress will generally be more inclined to lounge around than roam the yard. When the situation becomes severe, they may lie down and not move, showing extreme lethargy.
At this point, it is critical to get medical attention. This happens before heat stroke occurs, which can be deadly.
Your flock will likely be drinking a lot more water and eating less. Some may experience watery diarrhea due to the uptake in water consumption. Hens experiencing heat stress generally have a reduction in egg production as well.
With any of these signs, it’s beneficial to offer your chickens frozen treats to help maintain a cooler body temperature and protect them from heat stroke. You’ll also need to vigilantly monitor your flock for any signs of decline.
The Best Frozen Treats for Chickens on Hot Days
Chickens love a range of foods, making them relatively easy to care for at dinnertime. However, when the temperatures soar, action needs to be taken to help cool them down. Frozen treats are an ideal solution to helping your chickens during the summer heat.
Flash Frozen Fruit
You can choose from many different varieties of fruit to cool off your chickens on a really hot day. All you’ll need to do is pre-soak the fruit you’ve chosen for about ten minutes before popping it into the freezer until fully frozen. For best results, spread them on a baking sheet.
If you’re not sure what fruit to freeze, you have quite a selection to choose from. Watermelon, peaches, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries are all chicken favorites. One of the benefits of this snack is that fruits are packed with nutrients that chickens need.
Homemade Yogurt Pops
While dairy isn’t a primary food group for your chickens, you can offer a small amount when the temperatures soar. Consider making a homemade yogurt pop. You’ll need a small container of yogurt made without any artificial sweeteners.
You can mix some fresh fruits into the yogurt container before adding a wooden skewer or chopstick to the center of the yogurt. Freeze the container until solid. Once it’s frozen, you can extract it from the packaging by running a small amount of hot water on the outside.
The yogurt pop can be hung inside the coop or placed in the center of your chickens. The combination of fruit and yogurt will ease boredom and provide some needed nutrients.
Freeze Their Mealworms
Chickens thoroughly enjoy snacking on some mealworms. When it’s hot out, there’s nothing better than frozen mealworms. There are a couple of ways you can prepare them.
First, you can presoak your mealworms for about 30 minutes and then freeze them. Spreading them on a baking sheet will allow the individual worms to freeze so that you can spread them throughout the scratch in the pen.
Second, you can freeze the entire container of mealworms by adding water and placing it in the freezer. Once solid, you can place it in the pen in a shallow bowl of water or a feed dish. Your chickens will love their favorite snack while they get to cool off.
Freeze Their Chicken Scratch
Did you know that chicken scratch and corn can raise a chicken’s temperature even more in the middle of summer? To counteract this result, you can freeze some of their scratch and choose one with peas, not corn.
To prepare the scratch for freezing, you’ll need a large pail that you can soak it in for several days. If your chickens seem like they’ll need some extra hydration, you can also add a small amount of apple cider vinegar or electrolytes.
The bucket will need to sit for several days and ferment. As the water level decreases during that time, continue to top it off, keeping the grain fully submerged. After several days, pour the excess water off.
Scoop the scratch into muffin tins and freeze. You can freeze them solid or almost solid. Offer the ice blocks to your chickens as a nice treat to cool off.
Frozen Corn on the Cob
If you have some spare corn on the cob, it’s another great option for your chickens. Cook them until they are tender, and allow them to fully cool before handling. Then, cut each ear into several smaller pieces.
You can skewer each piece with a popsicle stick to make a corn pop, or you can just freeze them in pieces. Once frozen, offer them to your chickens for a refreshing and nutritious snack.
Frozen Bundt
If you have a bundt pan lying around the house, you can use that to create a larger frozen snack for your chickens. Combine several fruits and vegetables to make an ice “cake.” You’ll need to presoak your fruits and vegetables for at least 30 minutes before freezing.
Place the fruits and vegetables into the bundt pan and fill the remaining space with clean water. Freeze until frozen. You may need to run hot water over the pan to release the ice once it’s solid.
Depending on what nutrients you want to provide your chickens, this is an excellent option for a summertime snack with all the fruits and vegetables you can combine.
What Are Some Other Treats for Chickens?
Chickens enjoy a variety of treats, no matter the season. Summer brings out their desire to eat the coldest versions of everything. Here’s a look at a few more frozen treats you can offer your chickens to keep them cool.
Can Chickens Eat Frozen Blueberries?
Not only can chickens eat frozen blueberries, but they’re also a top favorite among these birds. Many chicken owners keep a bag of frozen blueberries on hand just for their chicken flock. They offer the same nutritional benefits that fresh blueberries offer, including the following:
Antioxidants to protect against cell damage
Anti-inflammatory benefits
Contains vitamin C
Contains vitamin K
So, if you have a lot of fruit left over that you’re not going to eat, don’t be afraid to freeze it for your chickens. They’ll enjoy the treat and the ability to cool down on a hot day.
What About Frozen Watermelon for Chickens?
Watermelon is an awesome snack choice for chickens because of its high nutrient content. Not to mention, with all that water, it makes for a great hydration source during the summer. In addition, your chickens will get all these benefits from consuming watermelon frozen.
This fruit has the most anti-oxidants out of all the fruits you could possibly feed your chickens, making it a great choice to help fight disease. Additionally, it has a high lycopene content, which helps boost the immune system.
If you’re worried about your chickens’ electrolyte intake, watermelon can handle that for you, too. It’s packed with a variety of electrolytes to keep your chickens fully hydrated. It also contains no saturated fats.
Can Chickens Have Frozen Corn?
Because corn is packed with calories, it can cause chickens’ body temperatures to heat up as they digest it. This is great for winter but not so much for summer. However, feeding them frozen corn has the cooling effect you want to help keep your chickens from overheating.
Frozen corn can help regulate the chickens’ internal temperature. However, corn is not the most nutritious option, as it’s relatively low in fiber and methionine and has phosphorus content that is not easily accessible to chickens.
Because of the high-calorie content and low nutritional value, it’s best to feed corn in moderation and observe your flock when feeding frozen corn as a summer treat.
Are Ice Cubes OK for Chickens?
Ice can be given to your chickens on hot days as well. You can provide them with a large block or several smaller ice cubes. When added to their water, they will drink the ice water as the cubes slowly melt.
This will provide sustained cooling throughout the day as the ice cubes melt. Additionally, if they’re bored, they’ll have something to peck at.
Final Thoughts
Frozen treats for chickens are a great way to help your flock cool down on exceptionally hot days. In combination with good nutrition and plenty of clean, cool water, you’ll be able to ensure optimal health throughout one of the most uncomfortable and dangerous seasons.
It’s important to provide your chickens with a means to cool down, as they cannot sweat to regulate their internal body temperatures. Additionally, watching for signs of heat stress and impending heat stroke is essential to maintaining the overall health of your flock.
With all the options available, your chickens never have to get bored with the snacks you provide. Plus, you’ll have alternative means of providing electrolytes when dehydration is a severe concern.
So, which frozen treats for chickens will you try this summer?
Want to learn more about raising chickens? Be sure to check out these articles!
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