Handling the extreme heat with my chickens

[pawswhiskersnwings]

We have a small flock of 8 hens and a Roo, only had them 6 months or so now. Well it is really hot right now where we live and there is an EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING both Thursday & Friday . Heat index between 105 - 115 degrees. I noticed today they drank a lot of water and seemed to stretch their wings and had their mouths open alot. So i quickly freshned their water and put a fan out in the outside run and in their house as well....Is this sufficient? Anything else i can do to help them stay cool with this extremly hot weather we are getting? Or am i just overly concerned?
Thanks for any advice or recomendations.
Michell
WV

 

[Mac in Wisco]

You should be concerned. They need plenty of shade and cool water. Spraying down the ground in their run or setting up a hose nozzle to spray a fine mist into the run can help them to stay cool too. Fans should be directed to blow directly on the birds, if possible.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Make them a mud puddle or shallow pan with water. They stomp around and cool off their feet. You can put ice in the waterers, I freeze water bottles and put them inside. They also love watermelon if you have some in the fridge. Good work on the fans.;-)

 

[surfchicken72]

I've ALSO read about freezing gallon jugs of water and putting it out there with them... they will rest against it to cool off... but shade and fresh water, is crucial...
we have the same thing here. (MASS) but my girls spend the day in the shaded woods behind the house....

good luck

 

[pawswhiskersnwings]

Quote:
Great idea thanks very much. My neghibor came over when i was putting the fans out and acted like i was crazy..They do have pleanty of shade, it is just sooo hot it's hard to breath so im really worried for them and tomorrow is gonna get hotter...

Thanks again....

 

[pawswhiskersnwings]

Quote:
Great idea on the shallow pan of water, im gonna go do that right now and freeze some water jugs...

Thanks..

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Shoot... These are the fans we added this week in addition to the installed ventilators that were already moving 20,000 cubic feet per minute of air through the barn. We have a couple thousand birds here though...

 

[pawswhiskersnwings]

Quote:
Shoot... These are the fans we added this week in addition to the installed ventilators that were already moving 20,000 cubic feet per minute of air through the barn. We have a couple thousand birds here though...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/2328_dsc_1456.jpg

Wow, you sure have alot of chickens, it seems that the fans are really helping them keep cool...Thanks for the picture. Love it....

 

[roxyblue]

it got to 105 today hear in pittsburgh. living in the city it seemed even hotter. early in the morning i put lots of fruit/ veggies in the freezer. i didn't give them any of there normal food since it has corn init and it makes the chicken hotter if she/he eats dreid corn. i put ice packets in their waterers and the fruit in a pile near by. it's VERY inportant to give the chickens acsess to total shade so keep there waterers and food in the most shaded area of the coop.
hope this helps!

 

[poseygrace]

Wow, you DO have a lot of chickens! The setup looks good to me. I was in Key West recently, and the place is covered with wild chickens that are doing just fine. I figure that if they can survive Key West heat, they will be OK here in Georgia. I do agree with plenty of COLD water, lots of fans, and shade. Good luck!