When it\'s extra hot, my Ameraucanas love for me to run a hose or pour some water in a shallow hole or two in the dirt in the shade. After the water\'s soaked in, they\'ll snuggle down into it for the coolness.
I don\'t do that often, but I ALWAYS make sure they have good cross-breeze areas they can hang out during the day (using predator-proof coop openings, of course). I usually put their perches in a less breezy area (since they perch on them at night, which is a cooler time--at least where I live) in case weather turns foul during the night, and provide some completely non-breezy areas for refuge in the coop, as well.
Constant access to shade is critical, too.
Some people will put a milk jug or pop bottle of water they\'ve frozen in the freezer (To keep your freezer clean, you can put the bottles in grocery bags before putting them back in the freezer for \"recharge\".) in a rabbit\'s cage for them to cozy up to when it\'s hot. This might help in a too-hot nest? I don\'t think the chickens would catch the idea to sit next to it for benefit if it wasn\'t in a confined area, unless they\'ve had \"mandatory\" exposure to it that way.
A refill of their waterer with fresh, cool water in the hot afternoon is also welcome refreshment for them.
Come to think of it, you could put a small pop bottle of frozen water floating in the water bowl to keep it cool throughout the day!
Or, you could leave a hose trickling into a waterer all day, with the overflow running into a dirt area they could snuggle into (a little ways from the waterer, so they won’t fling dirt into the waterer while “burrowing”).
There are some ideas. Hope one or more is helpful.
It\'s \"cool\" that you are thinking ahead about making your chicken\'s lives as pleasant as possible. B)
