Heat and Seattle and 12-week old chickens

[Penguingirl216]

Hi,
I'm new to chicken raising and there is a heat wave currently happening in Seattle - so around 90 degrees for a large chunk of the afternoon and only cooling off to 70s at night. The chickens have shade and I keep giving them fresh water and electrolytes and frozen treats but they are panting a lot. I know that panting is OK as its one of the only ways they have to cool off but when should I be worried? They are not full adults yet - around 12 weeks old. Anymore I can do for them to make it through the next couple days of heat wave? They are more cold tolerant birds so this might really suck for them. I think its probably a bad idea to bring them inside into air conditioning but wanted to check with you all. Thanks for any helpful tips or advice and info on when I should be concerned vs I need to just stop babying them and let them do their thing. Thanks!

 

[NagemTX]

Hi,
I'm new to chicken raising and there is a heat wave currently happening in Seattle - so around 90 degrees for a large chunk of the afternoon and only cooling off to 70s at night. The chickens have shade and I keep giving them fresh water and electrolytes and frozen treats but they are panting a lot. I know that panting is OK as its one of the only ways they have to cool off but when should I be worried? They are not full adults yet - around 12 weeks old. Anymore I can do for them to make it through the next couple days of heat wave? They are more cold tolerant birds so this might really suck for them. I think its probably a bad idea to bring them inside into air conditioning but wanted to check with you all. Thanks for any helpful tips or advice and info on when I should be concerned vs I need to just stop babying them and let them do their thing. Thanks!

Stop babying them or don't. I'm in south TX on the coast clocking in at an index of 115 on some days. I don't do anything special. They have fresh water ... lots of fresh water in tubs all around where my coops are. Two trees that are large and shade the three coops for 80 to 90% of the day. They are also not kept in the coop during the day so they can find better spots to cool off them selves.

90 degrees during the day would be a cool front here right now. >.<

We have been under heat advisory from the end of May. Its not going away anytime soon for us either. Also no rain, none.

 

[townchicks]

I have found that misters in the run have helped my chickens a lot. 90 degrees is hot for them but with deep shade and fresh water they should be fine.

 

[NagemTX]

I have found that misters in the run have helped my chickens a lot. 90 degrees is hot for them but with deep shade and fresh water they should be fine.

If they are in high humidity a mister is not good for them. Its like you putting on wet blue jeans in 70+ humidity. They do not dry fast and don't keep you cool in that heat. Chicken would be wet parka.

 

[microchick]

If you have a fan you can secure for them during the day it won't hurt them to have it turned on them.

We had a heat wave here in Missouri recently with temps reaching 102. It is the hottest that my flock has experienced in the 8 years that I have had birds.

I kept cool water for them, shade and set up a floor fan (pedestal) in the coop tethering it to hooks in the wall so they couldn't knock it over. Most of them stayed outside in the shade.

Still I lost an older hen to heat stroke. Heat does kill. I agree with no air conditioning but you have to do all you can to keep them cool. Misters are good. Cold treats are great. Ice in their water. Frozen veggies, fruit. Chilled water mellon. Saw one picture of a chicken enjoying mealworms that were floating in a bowl of ice water.

Hopefully this heat will break for you. Ours did but is coming back next week.

 

[townchicks]

If they are in high humidity a mister is not good for them. Its like you putting on wet blue jeans in 70+ humidity. They do not dry fast and don't keep you cool in that heat. Chicken would be wet parka.

True, but I don't think Seattle gets that humid in the summer. At least not when I have been there.

 

[NagemTX]

Went and checked and they are dang awesome on humidity. So yeah mister would do something there while it does nothing for me. I'm gona go cry in a corner now.

 

[alinas2010]

We wet the grass, dirt, sidewalk down a couple times a day during the day when it gets over 90 here. There is an evaporative cooling effect that helps. Then they also have a cooler spot to lay in the grass or dirt. Let the water run for a bit so they can walk through the little stream and puddles, their feet being cooled helps. We also spray down the coop with the hose before bed.