108 degrees.!

[SammileeChickie]

This week it will reach to 108 F
Would that be too hot for my chickens.? I don't want them to die of overheating that's horrible.!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's extremely hot for chickens.
Plenty of shade, fresh water, foot baths and frozen water jugs placed about including hanging at roost height.

 

[drmusic]

Last Monday it reached 106 here and 2 of my 4 girls died. They had fresh water and shade but that was not enough. When I found them I had gone out to set up a pan of water for them to splash in - too late.

For the survivors I set up additional shade, water to splash in, and their favorite: a box fan. They LOVE the fan. In fact, later that day my power went out. I heard a loud ruckus outside and saw the 2 remaining birds fussing at the fan that had stopped working.

Don't forget to do something to keep the next boxes cool. One of mine died in the next box after laying an egg. The other was outside in the grass in the shade.

 

[SammileeChickie]

Oh no ( so I have a dog cage, it's big for like a medium sized dog. Should I put them in it even if they won't have much room to walk? That way they are indoors and don't die of heat what temperature is dangerous for them.? Today it will be 100

 

[drmusic]

We have had lots of 100 degree days this year. Most breeds will do fine at this temperature if they are healthy and have plenty of shade and water and air flow. You might want to give them a fan and follow ChickenCanoe's suggestions. You also might want to keep an eye on them and see if they look distressed. Don't take my word for Gospel - I am the one who just let half of his flock die in the heat.

 

[WthrLady]

Two weeks ago we were constantly at or near 100' and the humidity was pushing us to 113 and 116 for a week! And NO WIND.

My heavy breeds and black breeds were NOT happy. I opened the coop and let them roam the acreage. Predators be ******! The chickens were more likely to die from heat and humidity than predators. I turned on the barn fan in their coop, ran a sprinkler near the coop. (They;'ll play in it, and stand under it, and they love to dust bathe in wet cool sand... at least mine do) Wet down the dirt UNDER the coop, and hosed down the mulch in the run. I put up a patio umbrella to add more shade. Made giant 1 gallon ice cubes to their water bucket, and fed them frozen peas. And put electrolyte in their water

One afternoon I found my giant lavender orp not only panting, but tripping when she walked, and she had that 1000 yard stare. She immediately was put into a cool water soak. She sat there for almost 30 minutes, while I poured cool water down her neck and back. When I put her out again, she preened and drank electrolyte water and about an hour later was back to her normal self.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As a general rule, chickens start panting at 85, start suffering at 95 and start dying at 105.

If there isn't dense high shade, meaning plenty of air flow underneath, one should consider shade cloth stretched over the coop and run.

Foot baths do wonders. I put out big rubber feed pans with a frozen water bottle floating in them. They take turns standing in them. The blood vessels carry away body heat this way. We've been blessed with a cooler than normal summer. It only hit 100 one day. Normally there are plenty like that. A few summers ago it was around 110 for well over a week and I lost a Welsummer that year. Many cold hardy breeds don't like this.
We have a tough climate cause it normally is well over 100 in summer and below -10 in winter, both with high humidity.
Given a choice of breeds for the 2 extremes, I'd opt for heat hardy breeds. They can take some cold but heavy bodied/heavy feathered breeds sometimes can't tough out the heat.

That said, after over 30 breeds, I've only lost one bird to a temperature related issue and it was the Welsummer in the heat. Never a problem with extreme cold.

 

[SammileeChickie]

Oh no what does distress look like.? My EE is panting hard but my barred rock isn't panting at all. Also can I cut their feathers to help with the heat.? Like their butt feathers

 

[WthrLady]

Panting is ok. Panting is how they cool themselves. They don't sweat, they pant. They walk around with their wings out, airing their body mass. When they get distressed they really pant, or almost don't pant at all. They just have their mouths wide open. They stumble and can't walk properly. Sometimes they just stay in a lump. They stare, but are not looking at anything. They just, if it is possible, go really stupid.

DO NOT CUT THEIR FEATHERS!

Moving air, giving them lots of choice of shade. Shaded grass is cooler than shaded mulch. A place to puddle play, cool water. Mint in their water. Fruit and cold veg. NO CORN OR CARBS. NONE>

NO SCRATCH CORN!

Give them lots of places to find what is cool for them.

 

[mg15]

I dunk each bird in a deep waste basket full of cool water. I make sure I get under their wings and breast. If I have to I will do this twice a day.

I spray down the lawn with water at nite so it releases cooler air in the a.m. and spray the earth with water again so it will evaporate cooler for them.

I put ice cubes in their drinking waterer.

Also, balloons filled with water and froze. Then put in the kiddie pool the balls of ice w/o the balloon.

Frozen watermelon is a real treat.
frozen berries in ice cube trays and they peck at those.
Keep their feet cool. and their body mass.