5 dead in an hour

We have and have had 3 buff orps, and a SSH, in one coop.
5 Black orp "chicks" (about 8 weeks old) in a seperate coop.

2 black Aust., 2 RIR, and 4 Amber links in another coop.

Came home after only being gone a lil over 2 hours, take the puppy to potty, check on our "girls" and see one black orp chick sitting by herself, I yell for the flashlight, youngest (4) dd brings it to me, I open the coop and there lay 4 dead black orp chicks, she is hysterical. I am blubbering like an idiot, we yell for Daddy, he comes running, grabs them and yes they are dead. Oldest dd ran in to get a trash bag, I check on the other coops, there lays a buff Orp dead (a lil over a year old hen, HEALTHY egg laying, sassy sweet sweet hen) DEAD

The ONLY thing going on is HEAT. It hit about 97 today, we made sure MULTIPLE times to take COLD watermelon, and fresh water to them. DH even sprayed their coops down with water today to cool them, and we spent MOST of the day outside doing things. They all were fine at 6:30, we left went TWO blocks away to my sisters, came home to this....

DH freaked, moved the single black orp chick inside in a crate, my remaining 2 Buff Orps and SSH are inside in the basement too in the old brooder. we have ICEY aircondition running. the Black Orp chick threw up when I picked her up.

ALL the other chickens are fine, hot of course but fine, we have a box fan blowing on the remaning chickens outside.

I can NOT be alone in trying to figure out what to do through this week, when we are expecting temps to hit triple digits. I dont have room for 8 more hens inside (these are all full size girls) I guess I will have to put the dogs loose inside and chickens in dog crates, but I know farmers wouldnt do this, and would LAUGH at me for doing it...

What do we doooo???? I cant loose anymore of our girls. These are not just egg factories for us, these are our pets, they all have names, and are loved. HELP

 

Quote:Nope not feed, as the babies are on medicated Purina chick, the older girls on Dumor layer.

No fumes or sprays as they are in our backyard, neither neighbors have anything like this, (neighbor closest to chickens LOVES them, and is out of town)

I thought were they poisoned, but everyone else is fine. I am beyond distraught

 

Quote:We never free range our girls as its "illegal" here to do that as we are in city limits (but we have almost an acre) they are all in coops that are near each other, but not touching (about 4 feet apart)

All coops have tarps for shade, these are the same coops they have been in since we got them (over a year ago for the one set)

 

Quote:Absolutley positively had fresh water, icey cold water melon multiple times today, and like I said my husband even hosed the coops down to cool them off even more as we were worried about the heat, as we had been out there working in the yard for nearly the entire day (dang it was a hot one too, I got sick feeling from the heat)

The wattles were a normal pinky yellow on the chicks and deep pink on my Buff Orp (her normal color)

They hadnt been dead long either, as we checked them before we left and checked them with in 5 minutes (yep that quick) on getting home.