Heat stress

[Mariakoltsa]

Hey
Its pretty hot here in australia.. my chickens are hottt hott hot.. out of 8 chickens 4 are laying.. for now. They have water in two spots and they have shade but even i dont go outside but they r there with their fulll on feathers..
WOULD IT BE A HORRIBLE IDEA TO THIN OUT THEIR FEATHERS WITH SCISSORS ??? Make em look a bit funky but maybe it would help keep them cool ?? Bare some skin somewhere . Bit desperate. Can You tell me if that sounds like a dumb idea ? One chicken doesnt even stop panting and keeps wings away from body 24/7 even at bed time... her comb and wattles r turning black aswell but i was gonna do a separate post about that... worried sick

 

[sloanbychoice]

I don’t know about trimming feathers, but as far as keeping cool...
Do you have a way to let them get their feet wet? Like a shallow little pool or tub, something you can get a couple inches of water in, that they can stand in?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Are you keeping one of the water sources in the shade as well? The sun can make it undrinkable pretty quickly on a hot enough day. During the hottest periods of the summer I will often buy watermelons cut them in quarters and put them in the freezer and just give them a frozen treat in the afternoons to cool off. I also have sprayed water on one of their dust bathing areas and they will happily roll around in cool moist soil. As long as I don't have any small chicks with a broody hen I will also give them a large open bowl of water with some ice cubes in it, (or in the past I've used a baby pool) when they get hot enough they will dip their entire head under water or some of the chickens might even jump in.

To answer your question about trimming their feathers, I've never tried that myself other than trimming some fluffy butts but I would worry it would expose them to sunburn.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do not trim feathers. They need them for protection from the sun, and to prevent each other pecking them. Do you have a fan that you can put in their coop and run to pull air through the lenth of it? Shade is very important, as well as ventilation. Make more windows in the coop, but cover with wire fencing for predators. You can make shade with tables and tarps or sheets. Change water often to keep it cool, or add blocks of ice. I like flat pans of water half full so they may step into them to cool their legs. Water should always be shaded.

 

[DobieLover]

Hey ❤
Its pretty hot here in australia.. my chickens are hottt hott hot.. out of 8 chickens 4 are laying.. for now. They have water in two spots and they have shade but even i dont go outside but they r there with their fulll on feathers..
WOULD IT BE A HORRIBLE IDEA TO THIN OUT THEIR FEATHERS WITH SCISSORS ??? Make em look a bit funky but maybe it would help keep them cool ?? Bare some skin somewhere . Bit desperate. Can You tell me if that sounds like a dumb idea ? One chicken doesnt even stop panting and keeps wings away from body 24/7 even at bed time... her comb and wattles r turning black aswell but i was gonna do a separate post about that... worried sick

Don't clip their feathers.
I freeze water in large plastic cereal containers and pop the ice block out into a shallow plastic pan to melt. As the ice melts, the chickens drink the cold water and will also wade in it.
I also keep a floor fan blowing across the run.
I have a box fan that I aim across the roosts at night with all window open to help them cool off.
Some people also use misters to help cool down the run.
You should also offer electrolytes in one waterer and plain clean water in the second one.
Your girl with the black comb may be having other issues that are compounded by the extreme temperatures.