Beat The Heat

  Beat The Heat

June 20, 2021

(A shot of Hamilton taking a peck at the ice treats!)

Fresh clean water is the most important thing you can provide your flock - especially in the summer. Eggs contain mostly water and keeping your chickens hydrated not only is crucial to their health but assures good egg production. But why not get creative and make some ice cube treats for your flock?

Mint, an anti-inflammatory, has natural cooling properties and acts to lower the body temperature of humans and animals by drawing body heat to the skin surface and also inducing perspiration when rubbed on the skin. When you eat or drink something with mint in it, you immediately feel cooler. That's due to the menthol in members of the mint family. Keeping that in mind, I created these fun frozen ice pops for the chickens to enjoy in the heat of the summer.  Even if the chickens don't "get the sensation" of the mint, it's also calming, and staying calm when it's hot can help them stay cooler.

So here's how I make these frozen ice treats:

1. Cut fresh mint leaves into a freezer cube container.
2. Fill cubes with water.
3. Freeze.

See, it's that simple!

Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and serve immediately! You can either put them in your chickens' water or serve them by themselves in a bowl or tray. At first your chickens will view them skeptically, as they tend to do with any new treat, but they will soon dig right in and enjoy pecking away at the ice to get to the treats frozen inside, all the while staying cool on a hot summer day. Try experimenting with other fruits and vegetables to see what your chickens like best. Lemon balm is also part of the mint family and can be used in place of the mint if you wish. In addition to being an anti-inflammatory, mint also aids in digestion and helps to boost the immune system, so it's a nutritious herb to add to your chickens' diet. I hope your chickens enjoy this summer treat to beat the heat!