103 degrees today....overheated hens

[newchickmomma4]

I need help! I have 4 2 year old hens that I've only had for a few months. Their previous owner had them in an air conditioned coop. Today was our first (of many I know) 100+ degree days. My ladies are not doing well. They are all panting, at least 2 of them have had VERY WATERY diarrhea, and they just generally look hot. I have a fan in their run, put a frozen water bottle in there today and can move that into their coop before they go into roost tonight. I need advice! What do I do? And air conditioning their coop is not an option . I live in central California.

 

[newchickmomma4]

Also, what warning signs (other warning signs?) do I watch for?

 

[Eggcessive]

I use big flat pig pans or rubber bowls for water, and place them in the shade in several locations near trees. They like to cool their feet off and drink. Refill water twice a day to keep it cool. Watery stools in hot weather are probably because of excessive drinking of water which is normal. Giving an vitamin/electrolyte supplement during hot weather is important. Aim your fan out a window to pull air through the coop. Shade helps, and you can make shade tables for them to get under if you don't have many trees. Mine love to get under bushes and evergreen trees. Shade cloth can also help.

 

[newchickmomma4]

Thank you! They have been in their coop and run area all day and it is shaded. Tonight I will redirect the fan to blow into their coop as well. Need to get a bigger/more powerful fan for in there when we build their new coop in a couple of weeks. They are out free ranging right now (we have 3 dogs that are a danger to them so they can't all be out at the same time and we have aerial predators so they have to be supervised. They are digging in damp soil right now and seem to be cooling off. They aren't panting and their wings are close to their body again.

 

[newchickmomma4]

Today is going to be another hot one (with LOTS MORE ahead......). Any other suggestions or help? Specifically what are the danger signs that I need to look for in my ladies?

 

[Exning]

I live in Southern California and its already 104 the highest so far. So far, we've added sand for the bottom to keep it cool as well as misters from the outside that blow into the coup. We tried putting in a pool with bricks in them to evaporate heat (the bricks get pretty cold, and they are suppose to keep their feet cool) but they dont like it. You can try that. This is their first year, i dont know how were going to manage because it gets **** hot here. But, there are a lot of chickens in our neighborhood so I have hope. If all else fails im just going to put them in the house for the hottest hours or get a portable ac

 

[ChickyGirl12]

I live in TN, but it got really hot here one day in the summer, and I got the hose pipe and put a mist nose on the end. And then got it to stay sitting on a crate, and my chickens actually came over to sit in front of it with their wings spread out! (I only left it on for about ten minutes on a LIGHT misting. But t sure got the job done!) Maybe this will help!

 

[bird-brain]

Home Depot sells a small misting fan that sits over a 5 gallon bucket very cheaply. That could help. Also, I raise rabbits which are much less heat tolerant than chickens and there are days that my buns just have to go into the garage as it's easier to cool. I have a portable ac that I hook up in the garage on really hot days. We don't get as hot as central inland CA but we do see our 100 + days and the rabbits are struggling by 85 degrees. Thank god my dogs watch over my birds and they free range all day. I have never had a problem with them overheating. (I live in woods so lots of cool spots). Sand floors was another good suggestion. Just be sure to get them deep enough that there is a cool layer under the top. Frozen bottles are a must with my rabbits and I find that plastic milk cartons are the best to use as they say where I put them better than bottles. But you may want to provide more than one. Really airflow is key to keeping the cool.

Sorry you are having trouble. Hope things work out well.

 

[newchickmomma4]

I believe my chicks will probably be more heat tolerant than my adult girls because they will be raised in the heat. When I went to check on my ladies this morning they were fine and there were lots of big solid poos under their roosts so the diarrhea didn't continue, which is what I was worried about.

 

[seminolewind]

This is my routine. I have a fan pointed at the nests for the layers. I have a fan moving the air in the coop. I put ice in all the water. Lots. And I have 30+ chickens. I also run a hose some days on the ground for a few hours and they do walk in the puddle and stop panting. I have also kept a basin of water and had to dunk a chicken now and then. One would stay in there without force. But it sure cooled them off. The mist fans didn't work for me because of the humidity in Florida. I currently have 2 fans going right now, but have 5 fans total. They mostly run all summer. I pay about $30-$40 on Amazon for fans that work better than box fans.

Some people put out frozen grapes or watermelon. I think my ice is the thing that works the best.