Heat stressed pullets

[dlhunicorn]

I use pigeon rehydration salts...they come in little packets (when I have found for poultry they have come in a huge amount and I would have to figure out how to reduce>no thanks)...they are cheap and made to be mixed with smaller quantities of water (since you have to throw away after one day this is handy) and I dont have to worry about my birds missing out on something by trying homemade recipes...proper rehydration electrolytes (for birds) should be in every persons first aid kit ...

...however, in an emergency here is a proper bird electrolyte recipe from rehabbers handbook:
From "Practical Wildlife Care" by Les Stocker:
"...It is possible to mix your own equivalent oral rehydrating salts by using the following ingredients:

7g sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt)
5g sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
3g potassium chloride (commonly called "Muriate of Potash". Salt substitutes contain mostly potassium chloride)
40g glucose (a common source is corn syrup)
2 litres water

The solution must be mixed thoroughly and discarded after 24 hours..."

 

[mandolinmama]

thanks dlhunicorn! However, since i'm not used to mixing things up by grams, i'll just stick to the other recipe.

 

[dlhunicorn]

there are several online conversion calculators but I have converted here below for you (approx)

1 1/4 teasoon sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt)
1 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
rounded 1/2 teaspoon potassium chloride (commonly called "Muriate of Potash". Salt substitutes contain mostly potassium chloride)
2 tablespoons glucose (a common source is corn syrup)
1/2 gallon water

 

[alalele]

I've been online searching for ways to cool off my pullets & roo who have been panting from the heat. No sound but are hanging their beaks open, tonight and off and on and have been for the last few days. One other thing that was odd was that 2 of them were repeatedly tilting back their heads like they when birds swallow water, but seem to be gagging and hold open their mouths wide enough that I can see way into their mouths! What does that mean? They were not drinking water at the time. I didn't know if it was too much fan blowing on them or not as I was trying to help cool them off and adjusting the angle and position. I couldn't find anything regarding fan placement in these forums.

I'm still trying to come up with a design plan for a hen house, and decided as a temporary measure to adapt a former rabbit hutch inside their 6x12 run. So each morning I carry them to the run even though we've had occasional rain. They DO go into a dog kennel to get out the rain and I figure it's better then be stuck in a (small by comparison) brooder all day with no options. .. and at night I've been carrying them back to the large adapted dog kennel brooder (inside a Morgan shed)and the temperature tonight was reading close to 90 degrees and HUMID on top if all that. But it's basically the same temp outside too, just not as stuffy. To create some air flow I hung a fan about a foot from their cage and they don't seem to like it. I don't know how to place the fan...? I don't know if I should leave the shed door open (it will attract more bugs and mosquitoes) because of the light bulb that's on in there. I don't have the light hanging over the brooder anymore, and considered turning it off (less heat) but worried they could stumble in the dark there are some things that usually aren't there in the brooder. (do chickens wake up and walk around at night or sleep the way through?)

The main NEW thing I put in earlier tonight was a pan of cool water they DO like and were drinking out of. I placed their feet in the water to help cool them off and layed two soda bottle with cold water under their perch so that their rump would rest on it, but they got off the perch! I thought if other pullets like ice blocks that mine would be happy with the cold water filled bottles, but no... hmmm.

When they got off the perch, 3 of the 4 (I have 3 friendly birds and 1 I'm giving away.. not friendly) kept want to roost on my wrists and hands instead of the perch! And would not step off as much as I tryed to encourage them to. I had 3 pullets (approx age 6 & 8 weeks) all decidely content roosting on ME. It was a sweet few minutes but they got too heavy and had to kind of make them get off. They were falling asleep I noticed how HOT their feet felt. So that's when I placed them one by one, hanging their feet in the cool water. One americauna (such a friendly gentle girl) just rested her whole body weight in my hands as her feet dangled. I was trying to get her to stand up and walk around in the pan of cool water but she wouldn't stand! Some of her under feathers were getting wet so I placed her on the edge of the pan and she clamped on and contently roosted on the edge with her toes hanging in the water. The other two friendly birds (americauna pullet and australorpe roo) were clamering trying to climb back on my wrists and arms again... they let me stroke their back feathers as they started to fall asleep on the pine shavings instead of the roost. After I soaked my roos feet he didn't like it so much and flapped his wings so I took him out.. then he nuzzled his head and neck into my hand and started falling to sleep... so sweet!

It's been about an hour ago so I'm going out there again to check on them and the temperature. I'm obsessing about the heat after reading a post about someone losing 2/3rds their flock after a hot night recently..! I'm going to try one of these recipes tonight if they aren't sleeping and are still panting. I don't have any koolaid in the house, but do have jello for the jello water. I'll have to look in my cabinets but thinking there is salt substitute I bought and have never used. Thanks for the ideas! Sorry this is so long and wordy... hoping someone can read through and might answer some questions... I'm too tired to edit...

 

[ivan3]

alalele, yes, move the fan back just far enough that they quit their gaping. During the hottest part of the afternoon a hose with an adjustable spray head can be used in place of a mister (don't get near fan or spray directly on chooks) aim it up and let it drift down. This is especially good if you're using sand in the run (no damp litter/evaporation from sand with fan drops ground temp). Place a couple of cement blocks/old wooden window planters turned bottom side up in run, place a couple of 2"x4"'s across them (can roost off of ground and misting the 2x4's also evaporative cooling for feet). If run catches afternoon sun, use a light colored tarp over that side of fencing (bottom should be about 6"'s off of ground - air flow underneath while blocking sun). We use a small fan blowing into north window of coop and a big fan over east window sucking air out of the coop (pretty good at night - lots of movement but doesn't `bluster' the birds (all line up on roost by east window), something to consider on design. Using a light? Maybe a screw-in plug-in for light socket and just use a `flat' bathroom nite-lite (no heat to speak of).

I don't worry so much about the panting, when ours start to spend most of their time holding their folded wings away from their bodies (trying to increase cooling by exposing featherless skin) it's time to start fans/misting.

Here's a link with more info:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/hot_weather_management.html

 

[dlhunicorn]

when it is really hot , the extension articles all say to take away their feed (and NEVER give scratch) as their bodies create heat processing it... you can put out frozen fruit in the afternoon (especially watermelon with its high liquid content) ...
if they are panting constantly you neeed to put electrolytes in their waterer

 

[ivan3]

Diana, our chooks have been supplemented with a slightly modified version of your supplied formula for going on their 4th summer, now.
Watermelon and grapes and the occasional meal worm/passing moth are about all our chooks will touch (and it doesn't matter what other food sources are available) when the temp climbs above 97°F (33°C). Good air flow/misting/no direct sun will prevent high humidity `pullet poaching'.

Turkeys are easier to deal with (they love to stand in water and get their drooling selves sprayed).

(saved your supplied electrolyte formula from some long ago EZboard thread `05?)

 

[dlhunicorn]

ivan...you might want to double check that recipe to the one given here...that was an emergency one and is not as "good" as the DIY Ringers above.

 

[barjd6]

What will affect heat tolerance. I just wrote another post about this, but our laying araucana was panting yesterday after before a storm and high humidity. I didn't think the temps were outrageous at all, but the humidity is high with rain every day, almost, and stormy weather or dead still. She died in the night; fell off the roost!

I have printed out the recipes for electrolytes. They seldom get treats because we're getting them back into laying (another story). Their layer food got wet a couple times this week when rain caught us. Did we kill her?