Hen Chronicles: Keeping 'em cool as the heat builds up

With the mercury expected to bump 90 degrees here in central Maine today, as it did yesterday, I'll dump a whole tray of ice cubes into the chickens' water bowl a few hours from now, just as I did yesterday when the backyard heated up. Maybe two trays. I'll raise the old patio umbrella to shield the pen from the midday sun. Later still, I'll cover part of the pen with plywood to provide some shade as the sun makes it daily march westward. When you run a full-service hen hotel, it's the amenities that count.