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How do you stay cool when the thermostat pushes around 100 degrees? When the temperatures are that hot John and I usually try to get chores done inside where we have the luxury of air conditioning and/or ceiling fans. The short stints when we have to venture outside to do work are pretty brutal no matter how much we try to hydrate or stay shaded. I have taken to wearing an enormous straw hat and I am convinced that it is at least ten degrees cooler under that brim. I am thankful for it no matter how funny I may look wearing it. This hat, along with sunglasses and sunblock is essential even if we are outside for a short time.
Of course, animals face different challenges when trying to stay cool. For some, that means sleeping during the day and venturing out when the sun goes down, even if they are not nocturnal, or seeking shade and water wherever possible, even in some uncommon places. Being a wild creature is hard, but at least for the animals in our care, we try to help them out as much as possible without going overboard. The chickens, for instance, should not have air conditioning no matter how hot (or heat in the winter for that matter), because it diminishes their ability to naturally regulate their body temperatures, and this could be detrimental (even deadly) to their wellbeing. So we try to figure out a happy medium. I started making them “ice pop treats” and this was a huge hit, and so easy to do. I buy the dollar bags of veggies and fruit in the frozen section of the grocery store. Then I portion out some of them into containers that I picked up at The Dollar Tree, fill them with water, and freeze. Next, I have two large metal bowls that I divide the frozen pops in and surround the treat with additional ice cubes. The metal bowls help maximize the cold air coming from the ice. The girls come running when they see me outside with these, so I think they really look forward to this treat. They peck at the veggies frozen in the ice and this helps hydrate them. Also, their combs and wattles, which help to regulate a chicken’s temperature are close to the ice which helps to keep them cool. Sometimes they stand in the bowls and have a little cold foot bath. Smart girls!
Our pups stay cool by swimming as much as possible during the hot months. Swimming is quite possibly a Labrador’s most favorite thing in the world. Not only is it a great exercise for this very energetic breed, but it helps keep them cool as well. If Islay (Eye-La) and Jura had their way, they would be in the water year-round!
The bees are currently hydrating constantly wherever they can. This includes our birdbath, the pond, around the hose nozzle, and the chicken waterers. The hummingbirds are gearing up for their long flight back to warmer climes soon and are at the feeders constantly now. Sometimes there are two or three hummingbirds at a time taking in the sugar water.
This time of year also brings with it some epic thunderstorms here in the Midwest. They can shake the ground with their intensity sometimes, but they do send a little relief our way by cooling things down slightly for a day or so. It is also a comforting thing to listen to them at night when we are safely tucked away inside. I don’t complain about the heat anymore though since I know that in just a few months Winter will start knocking on the door and we will face different challenges then. This reminds me of the lyrics in the song Turn, Turn, Turn (originally written by Pete Seeger and made famous by the Byrds in 1965): To everything (turn, turn, turn), there is a season (turn, turn, turn), and a time to every purpose, under Heaven.
Stay cool everyone.
Until next time . . .
K.
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