Chicken survived a Heat Stroke

[realsis]

I'm so glad she is better and thank you so much for sharing this story! Where I live in California its scorching hot 112 degrees. I couldn't and didn't know what to do with my small flock of silkies so I ended up bringing them into my spare bedroom of my house where they still are. I tried putting water
on them and it just didn't help in 112degrees. They still panted and were miserable! But I'm going to get a mister system when I can afford it as that's a great idea! They are doing well in the house now as I made them a box big enough for me to lay in both length wise and width wise
They seem happy even laying eggs but I just don't know what else to do in this kind of desert heat. I knew I had to bring them in when wetting each bird didn't help. Silkies have a lot of feathers and can get hot easily. Heat stroke is my main concern in this summer heat. And where I live 112degrees is usual for summer. So I guess for a couple months they will stay inside here with me. your story is very inspiring and I'm so happy your bird is better! Thank you again for sharing and please keep us updated on how your birds doing. Good luck and God bless

 

[casportpony]

Just an FYI... I read something about putting water on them and I think the article said something about how it actually causes their blood vessels to constrict which causes them to retain more heat. I'm not saying not to, I just think it's worth looking into.

-Kathy

 

[babyfoot]

Read the original posters story and Thanks, it's given me hope. I found a hen at 6am looking very droopy and lethargic, comb fallen over, wattles thinned out, eyes droopy. Tongue inside mouth looked dry and sticky. I am presuming heatstroke although we did all we could yesterday for them. Showering them down four times during the 44c+ day and oscillating fan inside roost at night with doors open for any welcome breeze. She is now inside with us in front of a fan and she will only drink from a syringe, being careful to only give her a drink occasionally as too much too soon could do more harm than good. Her wattles look a little redder and plumper and her comb is a tiny little bit better, she seems a little more alert than earlier too but won't stand. She won't eat anyhting yet but I may have to tempt her just to kick start her metabolism. Just going out to check the others again as today is already at 40c and it's only 10.30am. The youngest chicks at almost three weeks old are faring well, the 'teenagers' at 11 weeks are okay too. Hubby is out there now setting up a misting network from the irrigation hoses and setting it on a timer. They hate being showered so a mister will be better and the water in the air cools the whole area down.

I cannot keep her inside as at the moment my in laws are here as MY FIL is having surgery next week so I can't keep a chicken in the house. My MIL would go bananas

 

[babyfoot]

I have no electrolytes, I live remotely and nowhere to get anyhting at short notice in a Sunday, can anyone recommend an alternative to put in water to help my hen recover from heat stroke?

 

[ten chicks]

I have no electrolytes, I live remotely and nowhere to get anyhting at short notice in a Sunday, can anyone recommend an alternative to put in water to help my hen recover from heat stroke?

This is a homemade electrolyte recipe,there are many listed online also.

1 gallon water
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Table salt
1 Tablespoon sugar


Administer for a couple of hours a day(remaining time give fresh water)for up to a week if needed.

For heat stroke/stress,immediately submerge chicken up to their neck into a pail of cool(Not Cold)water,this will immediately drop body temp and possibly save lives. Heat stroke can take days to recover from,some chickens take more time than others. It would be best for her to stay somewhere cool.

Place frozen milk jugs/pop bottles/water bottles in nest boxes/around coop,chickens will lay beside them if hot.

 

[Stiggy]

Just wondering, but what does the baking soda do for them body wise? I get the sugar and salt part. Ive got a Silkie who has heat stroke and cant move so she is inside where its cooler

 

[lahall03]

Thank you so much for posting this information I'm pretty sure my roaster had a heat stroke yesterday. I'm following some of your advice I just gave him sugar water with a dropper he is still breathing his eyes are closed his cone is getting mor pink in it it was almost black this morning..Your information is going to help save Leonard the roaster I'm praying .
Thank You

 

[HenLover123]

What an amazing story! Sadly, I couldn't revive my chicken today. When my mother went to go check on the hens, she did what she always does. She pours them dried corn,seeds,healthy food for their eggs and water. While she was doing that, 1 of our 5 hens was peacefully eating until she fell straight down. It almost looked like she was playing around but then she urgently tried to get up, flapping her wings. Then all of the sudden, she stopped. She was lying there very still. My mother was in shock. What could she do? We had no idea what had happened to her. I was in shock also. 1 of our other chickens ran towards her and looked down at her. She wanted her back, pushing her beak towards the other one. It was almost like she was talking to her because she made noise. But the other chicken didn't even twitch. My mother was surprised but paralyzed at the same time. She had touched her and wiggled her but nothing. She burried her at the corner of our backyard with nothing to say. I had really wanted to know what happened to her but I had no clue. My mother had suggested she had a heart attack. But I thought it was a heat stroke. It's summer, but it was in the morning where it wasn't so hot and no other chicken was hot either. So I went online and found out that she had a heart attack. I had read somewhere "sudden death" and "heart failure" and my light bulb had lit up. I had also looked up heat stroke for hens and then I had found this website. I had read your story and was surprised. So then I decided to tell you MY story. And now, we are right back here.




The chicken that had passed away was a Red one.
The chicken who wanted her back, was a Plymouth Rock Chicken.

 

[Learning2Chickn]

I found our PeckAroo upside down with his feet straight up in the air yesterday under the shade of an outdoor pen in Florida. Heat Index was 104 F yesterday. I immediately saw he was still breathing - bizarre to find him absolutely upside down - so I turned on the water hose and began cooling him down after rightside upping him. Our hen did not make it. She was stiff and lay sleeping-like on the ground, right side up not far from him. I gave mouth-to-beak resuscitation but she was stone dead, but her body was very hot to touch. Since Peck was still alive I turned my attention on him & called for my daughter. She used another hose on the hen - but no go. Cluck was gone for good.

Turns out my 8th grade daughter did turn on their water hose & gave them clean water but did not clean out the 2 pans where dirt and grime had accumulated from the 2 ducks. The Ducks love water & scoop up dirt to make it a mud-hole. The ducks, having their own 4 foot diameter kids swimming pool, had invaded the chicken pen and decided to use the chicken water pans as their own. The water, although under shade, was hot to touch. No wonder. Even if it would have been clean, the shade temp was over 100 F. Chickens need COOL, clean water in this heat - not just clean water.

I sat down on the ground with Peck between my legs & gently hosed him off. He woke up but would not drink water until I cupped it in my hand & put it around his beak. It was touch & go for a while & we even prayed for him to live. I brought him to the porch of our house where he stayed the night in a laundry basket & I tended to him every 2 hours. He was breathing, continued to lay upright, but did not stand up.

This morning, I brought him into the house, and put him in his laundry basket in our bathtub in the air conditioning. He wasn't moving, which was unusual for him as if he would have been in his normal health, he would have been out of that bathtub with a flap of his wings.

Then I googled and found how you saved your hen using powder electrolytes for chickens. I thought he was a gone-er, but as soon as our local feed store opened at 12 noon today (Sundays) I was there getting him some electrolyte powder. I mixed the package into a gallon of water and gave him an entire cup through the course of the day. I put the rest into the baby chick pans & split it between the 2 ducks. The ducks immediately gulped it down even though we had given them 3 gallons of fresh cool water at the same time.

It was as hot today as yesterday so I saw online that some chicken owners had put water-fan misters in the chicken pens. I found our old one that I was going to throw away as the tilt knob had broken on it, but it still works and all the 4 misting vents work too. I put the 2 ducks back in with the exotic rooster Max still in good health & Wobbles, who, despite her walking disability, still manages to get around the henpen. I gave them all the rest of the electrolyte water & they all immediately began drinking it - surprising since it turned the water somewhat orange-brown. They sure love that misting fan!

We had to take showers so I put PeckAroos laundry basket back in the pen at the back porch, meant for sick animals. I put all the chickens & chicks & ducks in it so I could keep an eye on them. Peck decided he would stand up in the laundry basket, so I realized I needed to get him out to let him lurch around on his own. He seemed happy to get out but continued to drink the electrolyte water we had placed near him. He hungrily ate the scratch chicken feed put nearby too, so it looks like he'll make it. Max, our exotic roo wasn't so happy to see him - and walked over to Peck & immediately dumped Pecks electrolyte water bowl. I scolded him & he ran to the other side. I replaced the electrolyte water for Peck & he settled down near the misting fan. I am hoping he makes it! Thank you for your blog as it really helped me to figure out what to do to help Peck.

 

[Mto629]

My chicken down also from hot heat brought her in the basement noticed did eat or drink much by the third day I thought maybe she eggbound so gave her a Epsom salt bath but this made her worse now she cannot walk so every day I take her outside she eats grass and her usual food doing better. But still not walking will continue to do this hopefully she gets better