Detectives needed to help figure out the issue.

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

Okay so last night I had help with one of my hens she passed through the night despite all efforts. This is the 2 hen in one week.
Clues:
The hen is a RIR 9 months old or so.
I live in Cali its been 105+ all week.
They have shade, 2 5 gallon waters, and a fan in the coop so it doesn't get as stuffy.
Their run is wide open with shade cloth pretty much over the whole thing right now.
Hen was fine in the morning or pretending to be fine at least.
Her comb and wattle was nice and red.
(Ill attach picture)

Come evening she was laying down wouldn't move. Her wings were not stretched was not panting.
Her vent was not red or even pink.
She didn't have excessive build up of lose poop it looked like maybe she pooped while laying down once.
Her whole underbelly was bald. No red marks or irritation Though.

This is only happening to my RIR who are not vaccinated. I have 1 left.
But the really weird part is the exact same thing is happening to my friends RIR who are from TSC and live an hour away.

Help please!! Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most hens develop a bald area on their bellies from sitting on eggs in the nest, that's normal.

I would suspect they are dying from heat exhaustion despite all your efforts. Chickens suffer in temperatures over 85 degrees. Your temperatures are definitely excessive. They are warmer than the normal chicken body temperatures which is even worse for your birds.

 

[TheOgdensmenagerie]

Most hens develop a bald area on their bellies from sitting on eggs in the nest, that's normal.

I would suspect they are dying from heat exhaustion despite all your efforts. Chickens suffer in temperatures over 85 degrees. Your temperatures are definitely excessive. They are warmer than the normal chicken body temperatures which is even worse for your birds.

This makes me so sad because its something I can't really prevent. Like if it was infection then meds would help but heat is just here to stay!
I thought about misters but then it would create humidity which is bad for the birds also. I'm at a loss of what to do.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately you are doing all you can unless you bring them into air conditioning which is impractical.

In the future it could help to keep lighter Mediterranean breeds with big combs which are bred for heat. RIR are built more to handle the cold temperatures.

The only problem with lighter breeds is they are often more skiddish and flighty, but with intense handling they can take down. Some breeds like leghorns and andalusian are good choices for a hotter climate.

 

[Tlmcq]

Try giving some frozen treats or ice in water a few times a day...not sure if it will help but when gets really hot n humid I give my birds frozen fruits n veggies. Or add blocks of ice to their water.

 

[adickenscoop]

Did you try out the chicken symptom checker tool on poultrydvm.com? I find it really useful for helping to figure out whats wrong with my birds. There is also an Ask a vet option too.