Today was a hot one. Temps topped 90 degrees. So to beat the heat, I blew up a pool float and put it in a small pond in my yard.
I drifted around in about 10 inches of water, my belly looking up to the branches above me. Just as I was starting to nod off, a loud noise jolted me awake.
“Bawk. BAWK! Ba-gawk!” I opened my eyes, and two chickens were on the hill just above my feet. And while it may have sounded like the “Egg Song,” I knew better.
These sassy gals were hot as heck. I could see their wings hanging low, and and their beaks open in a pant. I needed to work fast to cool the girls down.
I rolled off of the raft (this was no easy task, even in a shallow pond) and grabbed the hose so I could aim a gentle mist in their direction. But chickens generally don’t dig water, so even this mist sent them scrambling under a bush. I was actually relieved to see this, because the shade would provide some respite from the heat.
Taking this cue, I slipped into the kitchen to assemble my secret chicken cooling tactic: frozen corn muffins. The project is simple, and open to interpretation. My general rule is to use a muffin tin, and corn. From there, lean into your imagination. Today, I prepared muffins using cherry tomatoes, blueberries, mealworms … and of course corn! You can watch me assemble these frozen snacks in a ChickenScratchFever video.
I just checked the weather, and of course the temperatures are going to drop into the 70s for the next week. So I put the muffins in a ziplock bag and popped them into the freezer for use on a warmer day.
Still, I just might grab a few and toss them to the girls tomorrow morning. Now that summer is here, these hot chicks deserve a cool treat.
Chicken Scratch Fever 