Very hot weather forecasted!

[drm315]

I live in North Carolina and the next few days (after today) are forecasted to be 100+ degrees. I am nervous about how my new ladies are going to take to it. We had some hot weather last week (88-92 degrees) and they started showing some stress signs (panting, wings open, lying in dust a lot). I hooked up a fan to blow into their run and put lots of ice in their drinking water along with some electrolytes and vitamins. They seemed to deal with it okay and even better once I hooked up the fan. Is there anything more I can do in the coming days/weeks/months of the hot summer we have in store?? These are pretty young birds (20-22 weeks) and I just got my first egg yesterday. Will this heat stop any new egg laying they might have done?? Just wanted to get any advice I could from experienced chicken people out there on how to help them get through these hot days ahead. Thanks in advance!!

 

[flewdacoop]

if it stresses them out they want lay as much. but i live in southwest louisiana where it was 107 yesterday and my chicks are about 3 months old i just keep cool water all day for them and in the afternoon around 6 i spray down there run with cool water and that seems to cool them down and take away some of the stress... hope this helps

 

[MelanieR]

I was wondering the same thing... record temps expected here in Kentucky. The fan you set up.... is it a ceiling fan or just a box fan?

I've seen some information for misters you can purchase- sounds wonderful, but a little late to order them from Amazon now. I can post the links though if you'd like.

 

[drm315]

It is just a regular box fan. I forgot to mention that I did mist them with my hose also. My hoze nozzle has a "
mist" feature. They are not too sure about it, but seem to like it the hotter it gets outside.

 

[MelanieR]

I was reading about misting them with the hose in that article on the front page just a minute ago. I'll try that too! And I'll go grocery shopping for the chickens today and get some snacks and pedialyte. (Hubby will LOVE that I'm grocery shopping for the chickens.

)

 

[drm315]

How do you use the Pedialyte? Do you give it to them straight or is there a mix. Is it very expensive. I bought a bottle of powdered solution that you mix with water at Tractor Supply for about $4. You mix one scoop for every gallon of water. I only have three birds, so this will go pretty far with me. Just curious about the Pedialyte though....

 

[flewdacoop]

i use the stuff from tracktor supply too it gives them all the nutrition they need and it has stuff in it to help keep them healthy. i never used pedialyte but if i would use it i would not mix it or dilute it any the formula is made to drink it straight so i would not add water to it.. just my two cents

 

[Stumpy]

Here it is supposed to be 105 on Friday and 106 on Saturday. I wish I had a misting system hooked up.

 

[MelanieR]

What flewdacoop said about the pedialyte.... just another substitute for the stuff you can get from TSC... which I was not around today.

 

[Mskayladog]

How much pedialyte do you put in the water??