Heat related??

[stormylady]

I Have a 3 yr. old EE hen ,Sugar, I noticed yesterday afternoon that she was stumbling around and acting like she might fall over, I did have trouble catching her anyway so she was still getting around ok-ish, I caught her and put her up in the cage with her own water and treated her with duramyicin , I got to thinking about the weather, it was so hot a week or so ago but it was dry not humid then cooler weather Then night before last we had a short rain and yesterday it was super hot (Hot and very Humid) all of the chickens were walking around with wings spread and panting but she was the only one stumbling around? I went out and got her out of the cage and brought her in the house and put her in a basket with food and water under the AC. This morning when I checked on her she was walking and acting normal. So I put her back out with the others, It is suppose to be back up in the 100s this week and a high today of 103 degrees (hopefully less humid) do you think the heat may have made her act this way? I did put electrolites in the water for everyone as well as Duramycin now Im thinking I should take the medicine out and just keep it with the elect. (thinking heat stress vs illness).
I don't want to treat them with Medication if I don't have too but at the same time I don't want to lose another hen, I just lost her Sister (Top Hen , Maisey to Heat a couple of weeks ago. ) and I don't want to lose sugar or any of the others either. Any thoughts, Sandy

 

[stormylady]

Thankyou, and it must have been the heat because she was fine after spending the night in the AC

 

[SuziQ991]

I'm so glad to hear she is better. It is very hot here as well and I have a hen that is not handling it well also. I can't wait for cooler weather.

 

[stormylady]

yeah the heats been rough on the little fuzz butts.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Freeze water bottles and put inside waterers. Make wading puddles, or put in shallow pans. Even extra buckets of ice water or frozen milk jugs of water set in the run. Cool treats like watermelon or grapes are good too.;-)

 

[Darklingstorm]

I'm in Southern Oklahoma were it has been 100+ days of very hot dry weather. My suggestion is to give them ice water to drink regularly, keep checking their water and once it gets warm, change it. Giving frozen fruit and veggies at the peak of the heat, also helps a lot too. I would also put a fan in the coop if your nights stay hot like ours does.