The chickens like/want cold water or shall we say not steaming??  We have an automatic waterer but the temps are keeping the water in the hose to steaming temps.  Chickens need water.  They actually need water to digest their food.  If their water is not kept cool they will not lay eggs.  Digging a trench to bury the line would be a huge deal...
My plan sounded simple.  Plug a sump pump to a timer and run it into a container a few times a day so they can get cool water out of the lake/river.  The chicken yard is so close to the water it sounds simple.  I made a list and headed to Lowes.... Let me just say this about Lowes.  Every dag gum worker who works at Lowes "thinks" that if you are a female that you need "HELP"    But then--- -I may need help finding the timer...  Just when I am about to give up I find them.. in the light bulb section!!!   I get home hook everything up I begin with the first problem not enough cord to the boat dock.  The next problem I really did not anticipate.... I was sure because the water "looked" fairly close that a 14ft rise pump would be sufficient.  I was wrong.  After I had climbed the  many decade old wire fence (covered in poison ivy and oak) and ran the pump into the cottonmouth invested river   I found out that the grade was steeper then I anticipated.  sigh  I made it back over the fence.  I just need to add that there is some kinda  ivy with thorns also growing on the fence which is not good for my nerves because I am expecting a big ass snake any second to bite me.  The chickens will have cold fresh river water but alas not tonight.  I retreated into the house and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and 2 batches of pecan cookies.  Back to Lowes tomorrow and tomorrow I will wear some boots to cross the fence!!!  The chickens will have cool water!