5weeks broilers dying, help!!

[reelmza]

Hello am from Northern Nigeria and the weather is pretty hot during this time of the year, my chickens die suddenly everyday. i think its the heat but any suggestions?

i gave them antibiotics in the morning and normal water afterwards. help!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Broilers really suffer in high heat. Do they have shade to spend time in to get out of the sun?
They need water available all the time when it is really hot - should be in a shady spot.
A shallow pan of water for them to stand in will help them cool off also (in addition to their regular drinking water).

 

[azygous]

Heat kills chickens. It's difficult to get them through extreme hot spells. It requires extra measures.

First you need to be super vigilant and notice any chicken becoming disoriented, poor balance, stumbling, tottering over when they try to stand. That's a signal heat exhaustion is setting in. You need to get electrolytes into these chickens immediately and move them to a cool place to cool down.

Providing shade and cool water, even water with a giant ice block in it, goes a long way toward cooling chickens. Good air circulation is necessary. Avoid all corn as it generates a lot of calories and body heat. Moisten the feed to get extra fluids into your chickens.

 

[reelmza]

Broilers really suffer in high heat. Do they have shade to spend time in to get out of the sun?
They need water available all the time when it is really hot - should be in a shady spot.
A shallow pan of water for them to stand in will help them cool off also (in addition to their regular drinking water).

They always have water, and they have a shed.

I also have a big mango tree right in front of the shed so they can cool off under the tree because the door is always open. but for the past two days, i have been finding at least two chickens laying dead at the wall edges... its 20chicks by the way. the room is about 4meters (long) and 1.5meters (wide)

 

[reelmza]

Heat kills chickens. It's difficult to get them through extreme hot spells. It requires extra measures.

First you need to be super vigilant and notice any chicken becoming disoriented, poor balance, stumbling, tottering over when they try to stand. That's a signal heat exhaustion is setting in. You need to get electrolytes into these chickens immediately and move them to a cool place to cool down.

Providing shade and cool water, even water with a giant ice block in it, goes a long way toward cooling chickens. Good air circulation is necessary. Avoid all corn as it generates a lot of calories and body heat. Moisten the feed to get extra fluids into your chickens.

thank you azygous, the region i live is not a dessert and its not wet, its more of a grassland so the heat is about 40°c at high noon. ill try and follow the tips you gave

thanks alot!

 

[Peppercorngal]

I lost a chicken last year in the middle of summer from heat. She would stand in the water with her eyes shut for hours at a time. If you are giving them ice in their water, shade and some sort of breeze (I put a fan in the coop) there is not much else you can do. Those chickens are not heat tolerant, not the right kind to have in your environment. I wish you all the best!

 

[reelmza]

I lost a chicken last year in the middle of summer from heat. She would stand in the water with her eyes shut for hours at a time. If you are giving them ice in their water, shade and some sort of breeze (I put a fan in the coop) there is not much else you can do. Those chickens are not heat tolerant, not the right kind to have in your environment. I wish you all the best!

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thanks alot peppercorngal, i will try keep them away from heat, i think that's what killed the chicks. am sorry about your deceased chicken.

i lost 5 of mine already in this batch. but the last batch i did in December had no issues because the weather was cool.

i think its because i lived here half of my life that i dont feel the heat, but the chicks do.. thanks!

 

[Peppercorngal]

thanks alot peppercorngal, i will try keep them away from heat, i think that's what killed the chicks. am sorry about your deceased chicken.

i lost 5 of mine already in this batch. but the last batch i did in December had no issues because the weather was cool.

i think its because i lived here half of my life that i dont feel the heat, but the chicks do.. thanks!

Yes, it would be best to raise meat birds in the winter there, and not the summer! Maybe a better plan for you. I don't like the high heat either, I don't like the snow, I only like it when temperatures are just right!

My hen seemed just fine when I opened the coop the morning that she died. I always check them, make sure there are no eggs on the floor and check that no one is sick, etc. Later in the day when I went to gather eggs I found her lying on the coop floor dead. I was surprised, but not really surprised. I had seen her suffering in the heat for a couple of days previously. Poor thing, I hate for them to suffer.

 

[reelmza]

Yes, it would be best to raise meat birds in the winter there, and not the summer! Maybe a better plan for you. I don't like the high heat either, I don't like the snow, I only like it when temperatures are just right!

My hen seemed just fine when I opened the coop the morning that she died. I always check them, make sure there are no eggs on the floor and check that no one is sick, etc. Later in the day when I went to gather eggs I found her lying on the coop floor dead. I was surprised, but not really surprised. I had seen her suffering in the heat for a couple of days previously. Poor thing, I hate for them to suffer.

its really annoying especially when you have built a little bond with your chicks. i learnt my lesson... and the disadvantage of living near a dessert lol