Heat Index 110 :O

[StandardLover]

Hi. So where I live, the heat index is supposed to be 110 this whole week. Its about 95 right now. I am really starting to worry about my flock. They are in a shaded barn, with some breeze. What could I do to make sure they stay cool?

 

[franklinchickens]

We've been in the upper 90's for a while now. Here's what we do:
-refresh their water twice a day using a lot of ice
-give them things like watermelon rinds and other things that are cooling
-put a fan in the coop and a screen door
Some people have mentioned misting the chickens with water but mine act like I'm killing them when I tried. Ours do have access to a tree line in our backyard so they spend most of the hot days up there in the shade then come down the hill but the house when the sun starts to go down. I think the key is keeping lots of cold water available. We have 3 different waterers - the large galvanized one I keep under the run and fill every couple of days but during this heat I've been using 2 smaller ones that I used when they were chicks and filling them full of ice water pretty often - and I notice those are the ones they go to most.

 

[pjknust]

Fan, wet ground, ice blocks ( I freeze water in plastic bowls ) big frozen bottles, shallow tub/pan/litter box for wading pools

I am in TX with over 100 every day! We are toasted here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kevs-chickadees]

We always try to spray down a section of dirt in the shade for them to lay in. I've also heard of freezing large bottles of water and putting it where they can lay by it. Try those and of coarse plenty of fresh water.

 

[serenityNH]

I've been freezing water bottles a few times a day and putting them in the water founts to keep them cool, feeding frozen watermelon and cantaloup. Also spraying the ground in their run to cool it off, seems to help lower the temp and I have shade cloth over half the run which really helps a lot.

 

[ManDash]

Temperatures are the same here and mine have been hanging out along the edges of the yard in the shade. I have also been freezing a container of water each night and after lunch I will put it out in their bowl to melt and keep the water cool. They seem to be doing better out there all day than me when I am out there for only 5 minutes.

 

[Miyashi]

I'm in Northern MI and it was almost 100 today...
I hosed down the run a few times, took ice out to their water tanks every time the freezer had finished making more. I gathered up all of my two liters, froze those, set them in the run/coop/galvanized water tank. I may buy them some fruit for tomorrow. What I did today seemed to help them a great deal though.
I hosed my horses down too....they enjoyed that, but then they rolled in the dirt....so now they are muddy!
Hurray!

 

[6chick*start]

I have an extra fridge in my husband's shop. The entire freezer is full of big jugs of water.
I am rotating these all day long. Even a cat litter box and a baking dish. They get these giant icecubes around 3:00 every day.
For 2 weeks it has been 102-110 and for the week ahead.
Smaller iced bottles go in their water bowls a few times a day.
I put apple cider vinegar in their water every day, is this okay? About 2T per 3qts. They seem to love it.
Electrolytes also in their water, 2 days at a time. Not every day, too much sodium right?

2 weeks ago I brought 2 of my Polish girls, 15weeks, back from the dead.
They went completely lethargic. Would not eat, drink or poop, just standing limp still.
I put them in a playpen in the shop. A/C at 78 degrees.
Every 2 hours I forced them to drink water w/vinegar and Pedialyte.
Put drops of poly vi sol in a small bottle cap, tilted it to one side, held their beaks in it and they had to drink it up yum.
Also, almost force fed, yogurt, boiled egg, oatmeal, baked chicken thighs chopped up good.
Yep, during the day every 2 hours.
It took 4 days for them to start acting like chickens again but I did it!

That's when I started doing the giant icecubes for all of them.
Also spray down their sandy run a couple x's a day.
They still pant but are doing great.

What is up with this record breaking heat???

 

[chkn]

I am assuming it's going to be a hot dry heat where you are (low humidity). I would hose down the run and yard before the sun gets high. Someone here said not to do that because of humidity but I haven't had any heat deaths since I started doing it like 8-10 years ago. We have lots of days in the 100's out here in Central California. I think it was the 110 range when I had two deaths. Nowadays any time it gets into the triple digits I water everything down. I put out plenty of fresh water in more than one place so any animal outside has access. You can add a splash or two of gatorade to encourage drinking for the chickens.

 

[6chick*start]

Forgot to say I also freeze hunks of watermelon and grapes for the late afternoon.
I have 9 hens and 1 roo.
Heh, '6chickstart' ... that didn't last long.