Heat exhaustion. Hen down......Advise please Wed UPDATE

[Lorije1]

Yay! I'm so glad how things are working out for you! And how fortunate for you and sad for others...... I know the heat has been insane here this year (NW FLorida).

 

[theFox]

Glad to hear that your gals are doing a lot better.

 

[DDRanch]

Quote:
Thank you fox. And the girls thank you for the suggestion of a real wading pool, which I bought them this morning. It replaced the tempoary one I fashioned together yesterday. I thought I had chickens...but wait....they sure are acting like ducks......

 

[theFox]

Quote:
Thank you fox. And the girls thank you for the suggestion of a real wading pool, which I bought them this morning. It replaced the tempoary one I fashioned together yesterday. I thought I had chickens...but wait....they sure are acting like ducks......

Be sure to keep it clean, don't need the gals having problems caused by dirty water.

We don't normally have the heat problem that you folks have had lately but I sure can relate to how your chicks were feeling, heat and I don't get along that well.

 

[Robeenop]

I have water water everywhere, shade, wind sails,electrolytes, ice, cold melon, 2 large fans in the coops, doors open...(runs lock down,and enclosure too) still lost a 15 mo old slw,and aspeckled Sussex. Was 103 when I got home,index of 120. What else can I do? This is heartbreaking . my pullets are fine though.

 

[DDRanch]

I am so sorry about your losses. It sounds like you are doing everything possible to keep your hens safe and comfortable. I remember when I originally posted this thread that at the time several of my hens fared worse than others. I dont know if it was because of their breed or their age, or a combination of both. Quck reaction to the exhaustion was key to survival in my case., otherwise I would have sustained heavy losses.

For the last week, we have experienced very high heat but I was ready for it this time with many of the suggestions from others on this thread. One of the best things We did was to put a roof over the entire top of the outdoor pen so the hens would not go inside the coop to get out of the sun.

Please let is know how they are doing. Remember they have experienced high stress and it may take them a few days to get back to normal. Keep doing what you are doing, it all sounds good.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I have water water everywhere, shade, wind sails,electrolytes, ice, cold melon, 2 large fans in the coops, doors open...(runs lock down,and enclosure too) still lost a 15 mo old slw,and aspeckled Sussex. Was 103 when I got home,index of 120. What else can I do? This is heartbreaking . my pullets are fine though.

Well, when it gets that hot, misters work best for cooling the air down. You can find some misting lines at places like Lowes. Install them in front of one of your fans and even you will enjoy going in the coop. You may even be able to find a cheap misting fan. I think I saw one at Walmart a few weeks back. You would enjoy that when the chickens don't need it. They are great for the patio. If misting lines are not practical, I would suggest getting milk jugs or 2 liter pop bottles and filling them with water and freezing them. Then set some out right behind your fans. They will help cool the air down that is drawn into the fan and provide a little bit of relief. Or set them in front, which ever you feel works best. They thaw quickly, so have extras ready.

 

[Robeenop]

I have the frozen milk jugs,bottles, tubs etc. I put frozen jugs in a stryo cooler at night, helps cool. I have misters too. Ice in waterers. This morning 4a I removed the soffit vent, left just hardware cloth increased ventilation. I have four windows. The coop is 8x8. I even thought about a/c...its just too hot.

 

[Robeenop]

I closed my nest boxes, to keep them out of the coop during the day. Harder to find eggs...but oh well. They will lay under it.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I have the frozen milk jugs,bottles, tubs etc. I put frozen jugs in a stryo cooler at night, helps cool. I have misters too. Ice in waterers. This morning 4a I removed the soffit vent, left just hardware cloth increased ventilation. I have four windows. The coop is 8x8. I even thought about a/c...its just too hot.

The misters should work fine, if they are working. Many times they become plugged if they don't have a filter installed on the hose. Now, don't run misters when the humidity is high, just run fans. Misters create even more humidity making it worse not better. Our humidity is high this summer where we are at. My clothes are wet after spending a half hour out there in the heat and I'm not a person who normally sweats much.
What is your coop made of? Wooden or tin?
If it's tin, yes that building is going to be hotter than an oven unless it's insulated. I have a loafing type tin shed that I house roosters in, but it is not directly in sun except for parts of the roof (which get extremely hot to the touch) and I have it fully open on two sides, just chicken wire as walls. What I did when we experienced our heat wave several years back was put in misters and a big high velocity fan. It felt like heaven in there but it got wet. Plus the misters gave me trouble at times coming undone, plugged, etc. So, what I found for my tin building was a roof coating (rolls on with paint roller) that is white, says it last up to seven years and reduces temperatures up to 20 degrees. It works well. You can use it on the roof and sides. Use at least two coats. You can actually touch the tin without burning your hand now. This is similar to what I bought: http://www.lowes.com/pd_139941-29-5530-1-30_1z0uk7k__?productId=3013309&pl=1
It's a bit pricey, but lasts for several years. I still use a fan in there when the temp gets hot, but did away with the misters. Stuff really did make a difference.
Only other thing I can think of, is the sun beating in the coop through the windows? Maybe some shade cloth to help block the rays? Is your run roofed? May need to look into roofing it. Shade clothes block some of the sun, but not all of it. Also, some cloths block more air than you think. You need the type that allow air flow. If it's only a few feet off the ground, then the heat will build up under it making it miserable for the birds. Higher roofs are a little better for summer weather.