Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

What kind of bird did you lose? I have a covered run (corrugated metal about 10' high at the peak) so there's plenty of shade but even with shade it doesn't do a whole lotta good when it gets to 115 F and higher. I'm kinda glad the hottest day is supposed to be Sunday so I'll be home and can watch them closely. I'm figuring on changing their "standing in" water about every 3 hours or so and maybe adding some ice. They'll be on their own Monday though but it's supposed to drop a few degrees then.

The one I lost was a Black Australorp hen. I have the Black, Blue, and Splash Australorps.

 

[ejcrist]

The one I lost was a Black Australorp hen. I have the Black, Blue, and Splash Australorps.

Sorry to hear about that. I thought they were fairly heat tolerant from what I read. Was she an older hen?

 

[BlueBaby]

Sorry to hear about that. I thought they were fairly heat tolerant from what I read. Was she an older hen?

No, she was a younger hen. I am thinking that she might have been starting to go broody, and stayed on the nesting box too long, because that is where I found her at.

 

[ejcrist]

No, she was a younger hen. I am thinking that she might have been starting to go broody, and stayed on the nesting box too long, because that is where I found her at.

That could very well be. Gosh I'm real sorry to hear about that. I hope all goes better for your remaining gals the rest of this summer. Mine aren't pets or anything but I worry about them probably more than I should.

 

[BlueBaby]

That could very well be. Gosh I'm real sorry to hear about that. I hope all goes better for your remaining gals the rest of this summer. Mine aren't pets or anything but I worry about them probably more than I should.

Thanks. I still have 5 other Black Australorp hens that still give me eggs. Plus, I have my 3 younger upcoming 7 1/2 week old chicks. One of those is a Blue Australorp female, and then there are 2 Splash Australorps, 1 male and 1 female.

 

[BackyardMarana]

I have only been getting 4-5 a day from my 22 hens which two are currently broody .I hope this heat will calm down a bit

..my polish hen was about to die last week she was really weak and could not walk she would just fall down, .I took her inside and put her by the fan .she got better in an hour or so.

 

[cyborg]

About 3 months ago, I bought 15 golden sex links for my egg flock, they are not laying yet, but probably getting fairly close. But, my stepdaughter just got a new house, and built a coop and run for chickens, and stepdad supplied the chickens. I gave her all the sex links, and a BCM rooster for overwatch duty. She came over today and picked up the chickens, and I also set her up with an additional roll of welded wire fencing and construction supplies. She said they are already settled in and enjoying their new digs.


EDIT: thanks all for the weather warning for the upcoming weekend. I need to make sure the stepdaughter knows what the remedies are.

 

[MagicChicken]

I'm getting a bit concerned about next week's heat myself. My birds did okay during that hot spell a week ago. This time they're predicting an even hotter 116 degrees in my location, and my yard usually runs 4-5 degrees hotter than they predict. Gulp.

I have one hen who is relentlessly broody. She goes broody every year around this time. I've never been able to break her bloodiness. The quickest way to get her off the nest is to give her eggs and let her do her thing. She's a great mama. I had started to collect eggs to put under her but at 116-120 the eggs will cook even if she's sitting on them the whole time. Think I'll hold off giving her the eggs. Hope she survives next week.

 

[cyborg]

I'm getting a bit concerned about next week's heat myself. My birds did okay during that hot spell a week ago. This time they're predicting an even hotter 116 degrees in my location, and my yard usually runs 4-5 degrees hotter than they predict. Gulp.

I have one hen who is relentlessly broody. She goes broody every year around this time. I've never been able to break her bloodiness. The quickest way to get her off the nest is to give her eggs and let her do her thing. She's a great mama. I had started to collect eggs to put under her but at 116-120 the eggs will cook even if she's sitting on them the whole time. Think I'll hold off giving her the eggs. Hope she survives next week.

I'm looking at 120+ where I'm at. Just leave the eggs in the shade, no hen needed. Will be shopping for a mister system tomorrow.

 

[BlueBaby]

Putting in a mister system for them is a smart thing to do with this heat. We dug a trench, and ran PVC piping out to the coop from the house, and set it up with 2 faucet knobs at the coop to run both the mister, and to have a shorter hose for refilling water containers out there. I have been leaving my misters on all the time 24/7. I can shut them off when it gets cooler again.