Feed early and late, not at midday
A chicken in serious heat spends the middle of the day parked in shade, wings held slightly out, beak open — and she is not walking to a feeder in full sun for a big midday meal. Work with that rhythm instead of against it. Put the main ration down at first light, when hens come off the roost hungry and the ground is still cool, and offer a second feed in the last hour of daylight. Anything left sitting in a hot run at noon mostly gets scratched into the dust. If your flock free-ranges, scatter the morning feed in the shaded part of the run so eating and staying cool happen in the same place.
Water does more work than feed in a heatwave
A panting hen is losing moisture with every breath, and a bird that is short of water stops eating long before she stops being hungry. Set out more drinkers than you think you need, in shade, and refill them with cool water at least twice a day — a drinker that was full at dawn can be warm and empty by mid-afternoon. A shallow tray hens can stand in helps them dump heat through their feet. Keep drinkers out of direct sun where you can; water sitting in a sun-baked trough is water hens would rather skip.
Lighten the extras, keep the ration complete
Digestion itself generates heat, and energy-dense extras like scratch corn make a hen's body work harder at exactly the wrong time of day. Hold the heavy treats until the cool of evening, or drop them for a few days. Watery extras earn their place instead: melon, cucumber and leafy greens hydrate while they feed. Frozen pieces of melon in a shallow dish give hens something cold to peck at through the worst hour. Do not dilute the main ration, though — a hen eating less overall needs her layer feed to stay complete, with grit and oyster shell available separately as usual.
Watch for the hens heat is beating
Older hens, heavy breeds and any bird already off colour struggle first. A hen who is panting hard with her wings drooped, pale in the comb, and unwilling to come out for the evening feed needs shade, cool water to stand near and close watching; move her gently to the coolest spot rather than hosing her down, which shocks more than it helps. Several birds flat and unresponsive is an emergency — cool the run, get water into every beak you can, and call a vet or experienced poultry keeper for help the same day. On KinsLe, noting which hens coped badly in this heatwave on each bird's profile means next summer's Care Teams rota starts with the vulnerable ones already flagged.