Electrolytes on a super hot day?

[3KillerBs]

For sure. I live in the sub tropics and agree. But 95 isn't terribly hot. I find that when temps get much over 100, the relative humidity tends to drop away enough to make them effective. Even a few degrees is helpful at that point.

Excellent points!

When I lived in Pennsylvania and New England I thought of anything over 80F as a hot day. Now I think of 90F as a not too *terribly* hot day in June, July, or August (though over 100F is, thankfully, usually only seen for a week or two).

 

[kbroom]

I am in Houston.
My birds get fresh clean water at least twice a day.
No special water mixes.

Hi Kiki, I'm in Texas too, but VERY new with chickens. I'm wondering if I've been over feeding my birds. 3 of them are 4 months old, and 4 are 2 months old. I've been leaving their food in the coop with them. They are now acting very sluggish. It WAS very hot today. I keep their water in a cool shady place. I've been putting grit in with their food, but it's smaller than the crumbs. When they eat, maybe the grit has already slipped down to the bottom of the bucket. It is better to feed them by sprinkling the food and grit together on the ground (which has plenty of sand)? I'm worried because tonight they were very sluggish, and clung together. They usually don't even let me touch them, but tonight they all just sit there, and let me pet them!

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi Kiki, I'm in Texas too, but VERY new with chickens. I'm wondering if I've been over feeding my birds. 3 of them are 4 months old, and 4 are 2 months old. I've been leaving their food in the coop with them. They are now acting very sluggish. It WAS very hot today. I keep their water in a cool shady place. I've been putting grit in with their food, but it's smaller than the crumbs. When they eat, maybe the grit has already slipped down to the bottom of the bucket. It is better to feed them by sprinkling the food and grit together on the ground (which has plenty of sand)? I'm worried because tonight they were very sluggish, and clung together. They usually don't even let me touch them, but tonight they all just sit there, and let me pet them!

Grit should be given in a separate container. They will eat what they need.

Except for Cornish X meatbirds and an occasional oddball, chickens will not overeat when given free access to feed during all their waking hours.

 

[kbroom]

Grit should be given in a separate container. They will eat what they need.

Except for Cornish X meatbirds and an occasional oddball, chickens will not overeat when given free access to feed during all their waking hours.

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR THAT! Now, I will put a separate container just for the grit, and will leave their feeder open for them all the time! That will be a lot easier than wondering if they've had enough food or not! My coop run is directly underneath our outside back deck. It is relatively cool most of the day, except for one section in the morning from 9 am to 10 am. By noon, the entire coops and chicken runs are underneath a shady deck. I found out that the larger chickens were simply "pooped out" from chasing around my younger birds. Today they burst out of the their coop with great energy. So, everything is copacetic in the coop, for now! The first picture shows a couple of my 2 month old chicks; the second one shows my 4 month old babies.