110 degrees today, has anyone lost any chickens in this heat??

[DonnaBelle]

I'm worried about my chickens, they are covied up in the chicken house under the waterers.

I am keeping plenty of water in for them, and they have shade inside and outside, but man it is hot!!

DonnaBelle

 

[CapricornFarm]

Yes, sadly, I lost another today . That makes three this summer. I have waterers as well as shallow pans for them to wade in. The one that died today was in a cage with water in the barn. I had him separate because he was new. I guess the stress was just too much for him:'( I mean , there are three fans running in there, I don't know what else I could do. I even put ice in the waterers when it gets bad.DH would freak if I started bringing big chickens in the house. Bad enough I had the bathtub full of chicks all winter.

 

[LarryPQ]

Um yeah---but I don't usually lose birds to the cold

 

[mulewagon]

It's supposed to get very hot this week, I hope mine will be okay!

We had quite a bit of 110 degree weather a few years ago, in the height of the drought. I had Light Brahmas then - they panted a lot and sneezed in the dust, but they all pulled through...I hope my Orps will be as hardy...

 

[LarryPQ]

This thread made me go check everyone's water. One of my breeders is on her way out from heat stroke. Now she is in the middle of the kitchen, in a box with a bunch of ice packs (little ones on her feet), under the main fan.

Here's hoping I caught her early enough.

 

[jjthink]

A lot of birds have died in the heat, particularly if measures weren't taken to cool them down. There are practically countless threads here on BYC re: how to do that. It is crucial to employ enough measures to keep them from succumbing. Some of these measures include:

Fans, fans, FANS - - keep that air moving in a way that they can access it if they choose to. Even if you have to run an extension cord from 'the big house.'

Some folks have also installed AC. I am one of them. When the temps last summer in NJ were consistently reprehensible with dew points through the roof, I added AC.

Shade, shade and more shade, in areas that are at least in part cooled by a fan or fans.

Cold water throughout the day - blocks of ice can be put in the water to last longer than cubes would. And/or bottles of water can be frozen and placed in the water - they won't melt as fast.

Cold fruit - watermelon, grapes, whatever. Slices of watermelon can be placed in the freezer a half hour or hour before placing by the birds - it'll keep cold longer. Watermelon frozen for much longer seems to change consistency and my birds won't eat the stuff.

No heavy foods in the heat of the day.

Some birds enjoy walking around in and playing in shallow puddles - cool feet cool the body.

Some birds like misters - mine never have - summers tend to be really humid here and it tends to just add to the humidity. For other birds and/or in other places, they may have appeal.

BOTH coop and run need cooling measures.

If birds are panting badly add electrolytes AND more cooling measures!

A bird unable to cope with the heat should be moved to cooler quarters until the weather improves. I have had chickens in my house a few times! (not possible for folks witha bazillion birds of course).

JJ

 

[al6517]

I pride myself in the fact that I don't normaly lose birds to the heat and I lost 6 last week all in 1 day, a foolish mistake on my part and I am kicking myself in the head for it. This darn weather in Ok is just plain stupid hot, and they are predicting over 110 for all of next week. We have already had over 64 day's with temps over 100 and 43 day's with temps over 105 all running consecutively with no rain. And to think folks north of the mason dixon line are squawking about temps in the 90's for a day or two LOL pansey's hehehe.
BTW the DEVIL called and said he wants his weather back, but it's still a little too hot for him yet.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Devil's weather indeed. Couldn't live there. Though I'm sure winters are nice. We just went through a spell of 115-120 with heat index and it was evil. Though nowhere near as long lived as what you're enduring there. The cool down was 98 or so today. Plenty hot enough.

JJ

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Devil's weather indeed. Couldn't live there. Though I'm sure winters are nice. We just went through a spell of 115-120 with heat index and it was evil. Though nowhere near as long lived as what you're enduring there. The cool down was 98 or so today. Plenty hot enough.

JJ

JJ........... LOL if we had a day of under a hundred we would be dancing in the streets thinking fall was here hehehehe.

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
Devil's weather indeed. Couldn't live there. Though I'm sure winters are nice. We just went through a spell of 115-120 with heat index and it was evil. Though nowhere near as long lived as what you're enduring there. The cool down was 98 or so today. Plenty hot enough.

JJ

JJ........... LOL if we had a day of under a hundred we would be dancing in the streets thinking fall was here hehehehe.

And July is when they hold my family reunion there. I live in the heat too but at least I'm only an hour away from a beach. Not that I've been. I lived 15-20 minutes from the beac hmost of my life and rarely went the past few years, but I'd go now.

I lost some of my birds in the growout pen twice this year. I freeze big ice cream tubs of water, spray the runs and coops to cool them down, spray their feet, they all have shade, but even at 104 it's hard enough to keep them cool.

I don't have a fan or AC in my house. No way to hook any up for the birds either, but most are out under a chopped down tree stump that sent out long huge shoots. Left it that way for shade. I have 3 citrus tree, but 2 are inmy frint yard, so that doesn't help. I have little tree stumps down one side of my yard that they cut down before I moved here. The landlords said NO TREES! ??????????? First thing I had mentioned was planting some and they were adimit about none being planted. Wish I had the money. I'd move where I could do what I want.