THE BIOLOGY OF CHICKENS

Poultry are quite sensitive to heat and do not have the capacity to regulate their body temperature very effectively. This is because they cannot cool themselves down by sweating as they have no sweat glands, they can only rely on panting. The feathering they have acts as a very efficient insulator and does not allow trapped body heat to escape.

This inability to lower core body temperature means during the high heat of summer, birds can become distressed, organs can be damaged, and they