Saturday, February 21, 2009

#3 Is it cold or hot in your location?

For the most part temperature is not that great an issue when keeping most breeds of chickens. That being said you do have to take it into consideration if you live in a location that is subject to extreme temperatures.

Extreme Heat.....

The most important factor when dealing with extreme temperatures is not so much the birds but how well you look after them. With extreme heat you must make sure you give your birds lots of water. Now I know people will say you should always make sure you give your birds lots of water and they would be right. I just wanted to stress the importance of it when the temperature is high. As for what breed of chickens are best at taking the heat I would have to say that I have found Leghorns do fairly well. However as I live in a temperate climate and it is not that hot in my neck of the woods, their may be other breeds that would be better suited to your location. If you live some ware really hot, you would be wise to talk to other chicken owners in your area to see what breeds they like best.

Extreme Heat.....

Extreme cold is not as hard to deal with as extreme heat. Most of the common breeds of chickens can tolerate cold that would kill a person. However the larger breeds in most cases handle the cold better than the smaller breeds. I run heat lamps in the winter to make life a little nicer for my birds but the do not really need them.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:13 PM

    It's really hot where I live and my chicks had a liquid coming out of their mouth. Is that normal?

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  2. Chicks shouldn't have a liquid coming out of their mouths. Make sure they are getting lots of air. They can take heat but if it's over 90'F, they need air and all the water they want

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