Heat Hard Lesson to Learn

FOGELLY

Songster
9 Years
Oct 25, 2010
446
96
133
Arkansas
Yesterday was a bad day for us. Haven taken what I thought was proper precautions to give our birds relief from the heat,(the same as years past) I came home to three dead BC Marans hens, a BCM and BW Ameracuna Roo in serious trouble. I quickly started running cold water under the wings of the two birds in trouble and was able to save them.
All of our birds have nice large shaded runs which we provide plenty of water. They also are not crowded and I had put out fans. But I was unprepared for yesterday's 115 temps and 125 heat index. So this morning I went about rigging a misting system for the pens. I feel terrible I was sure that them being in total shade in big open runs with the fans they would be ok. It is always hot here this time of year but yesterday was a record. I am very grateful that we only lost three of the over sixty we currently have. It was a lesson we would have rather not had to learn.
Also a side note our Heriatage RIR seemed to handle it better than any of the other breeds.
 
Sorry for your losses. It's been real hot for us since March and it seems it's getting hotter every summer. It's about 100 here now and with the humidity thrown in...feels like 110-115, phew! I bought extra fans and even put some inside their houses in addition to the ones I already had inside them. I lost 2 hens last year to the record heat we had... mine are hanging in there for now. I wont complain about the cold again, that's for sure.
 
Mine love the misters. They roam in the "cool" of the AM. Around late AM, they retreat to under the big cedar tree with misters for day...until dusk approaches. I put a thermometer down and air temps at chicken height are around 80-85 degrees. Otherwise, we are at 107-110 in the shade. I turn my misters on at 100. Sorry to hear of the deaths.
 
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