chickens and chicks

[katmoog]

o.k. my husband and I are totally baffled. we bought two pullets and 5 chicks. we have a chicken coop with lots of chicken wire and ventilation. the chicks were in a wee ventilated dog crate withing the coop. the temperature today was 108 but they were in afternoon shade. anyway, we came home this afternoon and they were all dead. did they get too hot and how do we keep them cool when outside temperature is so high and they were in the shade. Please help - we can't believe they all died.

 

[Bulldogma]

So sorry for your loss!

Yes - it was probably the heat. Brooder temperature should be around 100 degrees (F) for the first week. All those warm little bodies in the dog crate may have bumped the temperature well above 110 in there. Even when things seem well ventilated, it can be hard to get the air moving about in a confined space.

In hot temperatures, your chicks will be better off in a brooder in your house with a light to keep them warm. Even full-grown chickens can die in the temperatures you had today. Lots of chicken owners put ice in baby pools and the like to give the mature chickens a place to cool off.