Extreme heat! Sad!

[Mtn Laurel]

Sorry for your loss. This heat is unbearable - 104 here today. We even tried an old window air conditioner at the end of the run but it was so hot that the compressor kept going off and blowing hot air on them for a while. Well, that idea was no good! Back to the fan, they seem to like that the best.

One thing I did was cover the run in reflective tarp to keep the sun off. There was a section that the tarp didn't reach so I used an old sheet to cover it and keep wetting it down. Have been misting the run and have put a bottle of ice in their water.

Tomorrow I've got to go out of town for the day and it's supposed to be almost as hot as today. Fingers crossed they do okay.

 

[jjdacks]

I know how you feel!!!! Yesterday our temps got up to 107!!!! I went out planning to be home earlier in the day. As it happened I was a couple of hours longer than expected. When I got home I found 5 of my hens down, three were dead (an Aracauna, a striped Brahma, and a Production Red). The other two (a Barred Rock and a RIR) I whisked into the house and dowsed them with cool water.

I left them in the house the rest of the day. They both were alert able to stand and pecked at food and water after a few hours. I put them back out after dark, but sadly the RIR died around noon today. :-(

I am down to 11 hens and those that died were some of the best egg layers I had. I have moved the coop so it is under the trees and placed a couple of jugs of frozen water in the coop, along with a fan.

I feel so bad but other than making them house pets (which isn't a possibility) I don't know what else to do. I feel responsible for them and they died in my care. After this I'm debating on whether or not I want to keep chickens anymore.

 

[Pele]

I'm sorry for your loss. You can get really cheap misting lines at walmart and Lowes to run all day for them. Also, I like to toss them some chilled or frozen watermellon in the middle of the day. They go nuts for that stuff.