Chickens are very adaptable sorts. We drove back to 90s-hot South Carolina with the hens in mid-July, and they immediately returned to their summer routines. How do they survive the scorch? When I have writing days at home, I walk out back many times a day to check on their water, see if they're panting. (They are generally open-mouth panting mid-day.) Sometimes I use the galvanized trough to create shade, lean it onto their run. The hen house has a tin roof to reflect the sun and give them some relief - but they usually only go in there at night. The sunflowers and lantana and muscadine vine make shade. Their feathers protect them. Still, like a mother hen, I want to know they aren't too hot. I turn on the sprinkler. And I check back again in a little while.
Photo: Rupert under the grapevine.
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