Heritage Large Fowl Thread - Page 510

Shade - lots of shade. Shade and water saved mine last year when many lost alot of their birds. We had over 6 straight weeks of 100+ weather here last summer. Drought - folks lost crops and animals. Couldn't even buy a bale of hay without  paying a mint.... Hope it is not that bad this year.

Today was cooler, thank the Lord!  My girls don't even come out of the barn after 9am. 

Last year I had a misting system that would mist for 2 min and rest for 6 min.  I had no water in it over the winter but I guess the cold temps outside destroyed it.  I'm having a terrible time finding another one to do the same thing this year.  So, I'll turn the misters on for about 40 min out of 4 hours.  Still makes a muddy mess!  But its cooler in the barn.  I have fans going too, pointing into the corners to circulate the hot air out of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Blosl 

What are you doing to keep the poor Heritage Birds from dieing in this heat?

 

I just watered my birds and hosed them down a little to get cool. Its 95 down here near the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Got drip water going into one pint feed cups in my 8x8 old breeding pens for my three to four month old bantams. The water is cool as can be from the well.

 

bob

I wish our highs would get down to 95.  At least it hasn't been really hot here yet.  Still under 110 during the day.  It's not a heat wave here until it gets closer to 115.  

My birds are in a covered coop/run with half solid wall sections and half hardware cloth screening.  Most of it (especially the roof) is draped in 70% shadecloth since I'm short on trees here in the scorched-earth desert.  Lots of shade, a way for the birds to get out of the wind (which doesn't cool anything when it's 110*),  and sometimes I spray down the dirt in one end of the run so they have some cool damp stuff to dig around in.  They have lots of water available, including a big black rubber dog dish one of them uses as a wading pool.   Waiting to see how the production birds fare through the summer in this setup before I start with a heritage breed.  So far, so good.  When I let them out to free range they scratch around in the bushes for a while then head back to the coop/run on their own, so I'm thinking it can't be too bad.

Bob, I'm jealous of your cool well water.  Our cold water comes out of the tap around 85 or 90* in the summer!

Sarah

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicChicken 

 

I wish our highs would get down to 95.  At least it hasn't been really hot here yet.  Still under 110 during the day.  It's not a heat wave here until it gets closer to 115.  

 

My birds are in a covered coop/run with half solid wall sections and half hardware cloth screening.  Most of it (especially the roof) is draped in 70% shadecloth since I'm short on trees here in the scorched-earth desert.  Lots of shade, a way for the birds to get out of the wind (which doesn't cool anything when it's 110*),  and sometimes I spray down the dirt in one end of the run so they have some cool damp stuff to dig around in.  They have lots of water available, including a big black rubber dog dish one of them uses as a wading pool.   Waiting to see how the production birds fare through the summer in this setup before I start with a heritage breed.  So far, so good.  When I let them out to free range they scratch around in the bushes for a while then head back to the coop/run on their own, so I'm thinking it can't be too bad.

 

Bob, I'm jealous of your cool well water.  Our cold water comes out of the tap around 85 or 90* in the summer!

 

Sarah

Yes your numbers are high when it comes temps BUT just last year there was a guy from Arizona here at my house(Louisiana) just about this time of the year now it was 95 to100 degrees and humid 40-60% and he was absoultely about to die, sweat was just a rolling off him, he said it was hottern' hedoulbeLL toothpicksticks and I laughed then I told him I thought you came from where it was hot, he said yeah but this heat here is BAD LOL

Jeff

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/538337/silly-swimming-chickens-i-mean-ducks-i-mean-chickens/0_30

From the above link -

I guess this would cool them all off!

Quote:

Yes I know that "they" say chickens can't swim.  Or chickens will only float for a few minutes and then their feathers will become sodden and they will sink.  Well I'm here to let you know that their feathers may become wet and sodden, but they will not sink.  They will float, swim and flap.  They ❤LOVE❤ the pool!  So who are "they" anyway??


                                                                Here's Tara with one of her babies:


               Here are Madeline, our neighbor Riley, and Tara with all three of our girls (Dixie, Jasmine and Daisy).


                                            And the Henny Penny's just chillin' in the 92 degree heat .




                                                                        Preening after the pool....


                    Excuse us...A little privacy please human!  Now make yourself useful and fetch us some meal worms.


                ****************************Updated photos below!*************************
                                                           These pictures were taken on 8/3/11. 

OMG that is a great post Kathy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddyfro 

 

 

Yes your numbers are high when it comes temps BUT just last year there was a guy from Arizona here at my house(Louisiana) just about this time of the year now it was 95 to100 degrees and humid 40-60% and he was absoultely about to die, sweat was just a rolling off him, he said it was hottern' hedoulbeLL toothpicksticks and I laughed then I told him I thought you came from where it was hot, he said yeah but this heat here is BAD LOL

 

Jeff

Jeff,

I remember last years heat, even up here in Ohio in was hot. I remember it being hotter here than it was in parts of Arizona for about a week or so.

That's the month I told my wife that we could hatch egg out on the front porch because both the temperature and the humidity was just about perfect. 

We had so high 90s' this already but the humidity way only around 30-35%

Chris

Our little valley gets extreme heat. It's usually over 100 for most of the summer, sometimes up to 120, with low humidity. The larger scale poultry farms around here have losses on a regular basis.

I've always been impressed by how well my SG Dorkings handle the heat. In 7 years, only three have died from overheating.

My Delawares are a different story. They are much more stressed from this heat and I've lost three so far this summer.

Why would a white American breed do worse in a hot climate than a dark English breed? It doesn't make sense.

Kathy, those pics are so funny! I never would have believed that chickens could swim.

Kim

Kathy, my husband is on the floor laughing..thats the funniest thing I have ever seen..they look like they are completly enjoying the float..

Can you beleive it ..I am running a heat lamp today for the babies..it was around 45 degrees last night..probably will be as cold tonight..and its june..crazy weather ..and its going to be back up to 90 by the weekend..im in my big hoodie cause its cool out today..classic NY summer thou..in building chicken coop book they recomend a pretty stout structure for upstate and maine vermont ect..I understand why..it might make a record 70 degrees today

 Lynnie,

I wish we had your temps. Today was a gorgeous 89 degrees with a breeze and low humidity. This weekend is going to be a killer. Temps of 100-102 and high humidity. We finished putting the steel roofs on all the chain link runs today, thank heavens. The English Buff Os are already feeling the heat, but were very happy tonight as the over roofs had dramaticly dropped the temps in the runs and roosts.I hope everyone is aware and ready for this heat, this early. I know people who have already lost birds to it. Please everyone...Shade and COOL water!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by aveca 

Kathy, my husband is on the floor laughing..thats the funniest thing I have ever seen..they look like they are completly enjoying the float..

 

Can you beleive it ..I am running a heat lamp today for the babies..it was around 45 degrees last night..probably will be as cold tonight..and its june..crazy weather ..and its going to be back up to 90 by the weekend..im in my big hoodie cause its cool out today..classic NY summer thou..in building chicken coop book they recomend a pretty stout structure for upstate and maine vermont ect..I understand why..it might make a record 70 degrees today