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

[sheila3935]

Its been hot for so long here I cant think anymore. We usually dont have the bad heat til August. This year it started at the end of june and hasnt let up. Crazy humidity too. Daily heat indexes avaraging 110. I lost a bantam cochin cockrel to the heat a week ago. He had a bad hatch and was a little smaller and weaker then the others, so thats why I think the heat got him. I have fans, hose down the coops several times a day keep the sprinkler on for the ducks, put electrolyte in the waterers ice frozen peas. The girls have really slacked on laying but thats ok. My NN's seem to handle it the best. I hardly ever see them pant. My poor cochins handle it the worst. The silkies seem to do ok which those were the ones I thought I'd have trouble with. I work at the local feed store and have had people coming in telling me they have lost calves. We are supposed to have a cool down this week. Highs in the mid to upper 80's and lows in the 60's at least for a few days. I sure hope so. I am longing for fall, but the way this year has went with no spring jumping right into summer we will probably jump from summer right into winter. I have so much to do outside. I need to add on to the big coop for the younger ones, but its been just too darn hot to do it.

 

[jjthink]

Adding that I run a hose to part of their run (it's large) and let it run for awhile in one of the shady areaa. The birds love it so much. They walk through it (cooling their feet cools their bodies), drink from the running water, play in it, and all in all have a good cool time.

JJ

 

[SaraFL]

I think I may have lost 1 of my BSL to the heat several weeks ago. She was fine, and then she was dead. No one else has had problems though. I don't want to sound like I don't care about them, but I don't have time or resources to do everything that many of you are. Their pen is in the most shady part of the yard. There is no coop, just pen, because in Florida it stays hot for a long time. They have 2 dishes of water that I change at night, no time in the morning. I think I will try adding another dish of water though, and maybe a packet of the electrolytes/chick saver stuff.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
It's hard with having to get out the door to work, I know, and really understand. But it doesn't take much time or resources to make sure there are ice and fans available during hot times. If I couldn't do at least that much for my birds, honestly, I wouldn't have them. I work a long, hard schedule but before I head out in the morning, there are fresh water bowls with blocks of ice, a big plate of fresh icy fruits, fans running, water puddles made with the hose, etc. Not easy, but they count on me to look out for them and I don't want to lose anyone if it's in any way preventable.
JJ

 

[al6517]

117 in the shade here in Ok today with more of the same coming with no end in sight, I spent 10 hr's in it today and 2 hrs in the pens looking after the birds after that, now that I am home in my recliner I feel like a 100 yr's old.

 

[LottieDa]

Quote:
HOLY COW!

 

[barbieszoo]

Here in OK, I check my two silkie girls constantly, and keep a mister on them all day, with shade ,and ice in the water and cold watermelon treats. I bring them in at night in a crate to sleep because their little coop is so stuffy and holds heat. I lost one earlier in July before I knew to get the mister, and ever since then I've been SO overprotective. Tomorrow it's supposed to get over 114, and I think I'm going to set them up in the bathroom for afternoon, like I do in below 0 temps. Our house is at 80 degrees, so it's not so cool that it's a huge shock to go out in the mornings to play, but the afternoons are brutal. I am so ready for a nice cool front!

 

[Jerseycoop]

I use a fan in the coop but I do use a mistand on days over 90. It sprays out a super fine mist and my girls sit on their roost in the run misting themselves. They were scared of it at first but LOVE it now. It also cools down the sand. I have light brahmas, RIR and an EE they all love it. Some may have a different opinion but when my girls start to pant, 30 minutes in the mistand makes them happy and no more panting. I also put frozen 1gallon jugs of water in the coop at night. I bring them tomatoes from the garden and chilled watermelon. Good luck byc'ers some have it real bad with the heat I wish you luck

 

[Jerseycoop]

Quote:
It's hard with having to get out the door to work, I know, and really understand. But it doesn't take much time or resources to make sure there are ice and fans available during hot times. If I couldn't do at least that much for my birds, honestly, I wouldn't have them. I work a long, hard schedule but before I head out in the morning, there are fresh water bowls with blocks of ice, a big plate of fresh icy fruits, fans running, water puddles made with the hose, etc. Not easy, but they count on me to look out for them and I don't want to lose anyone if it's in any way preventable.
JJ

 

[OkieKristi]

Well, it was 112 deg here today, and I lost my first chicken to the heat. One of my favorites too, a BSL that laid a really pretty speckled brown egg.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm thinking about locking them out of the coop during the day. They have plenty of shade, a kiddie pool, plenty of water (in the shade), and I use the sprinkler on them a couple of times a day. But, their coop is concrete block, faces west, and it really retains the heat - it is HOT in the afternoons. Some of the chickens insist on hanging out in the coop all day. When I checked this afternoon, four of them were in the coop hiding in the space under the nest boxes, and one of them was dead.