Heat stroke and obesity advice needed

[Sallyhens]

Seeking advice on putting my overweight hens on a diet, and reducing heat stress in North Central Florida (aka hot, humid, minimal breeze).

I have 6 hens, and my oldest are 3 years old. One of my GLW dropped dead yesterday morning. She seemed lethargic and pale the evening before, and very overheated in the coop overnight. I suspect it was heat stroke, exacerbated by the fact that she was a bit overweight.

My other GLW and one Barred Rock have stopped laying for several months but otherwise seem healthy (one is the top hen, and she’s grown one spur, so I figured she’s the “rooster” now, the PBR laid giant eggs 5 days a week for almost 3 years so maybe she’s just done? She still goes in the nesting box every day for an hour or two). I worried they would be getting too much calcium from their feed since they’re not producing eggs, so I started supplementing with Kalmbach 20% all flock feed. Although I was mixing it in with their layer feed, I think they’ve put on some weight in the last few weeks. I didn’t notice at the time because they’re so fluffy, and I feel guilty about that.

I’m removing the all flock feed and putting them on their layer feed again (Dumor organic layer pellets). I plan on limiting treats (though I only give fruits, veggies, nuts, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and scratch occasionally). Not sure if the fruits and veggies are okay while on a diet, but I think they’re essential during summer (frozen peas, cold berries, watermelon, etc.). They have feed out 24/7, as well as grit and calcium sources. I worry about restricting their feed and competition for it in the pecking order. Please suggest other solutions for putting the hens on a diet that will rectify the problem quickly but healthily. My speckled Sussex is for sure overweight and struggles in the heat, and I’m worried. Their run is 78sqft, but there’s not much for them to do for exercise. They only scratch around to look for treats, and now they’re on a diet. They are in the run 23 hours a day because I live in a dense neighborhood with dogs. I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour. I know it’s not enough and wish I had the means to do better (I rent).

As far as keeping them cool, I feel like it’s extra hard in FL due to the humidity. It’s about 90F when they go to roost, and decreases to about 75F overnight. About 1/4 of the coop walls are windows for airflow. It has a metal roof which I’m sure doesn’t help. Can I do something about that besides replace the roof? It’s not even June yet, and August/September are brutal here.

The run also has a roof, so direct sun doesn’t penetrate too much. They have deep shade underneath the coop at the end of the run. They are under there every day in the afternoon, panting away. Misters are probably out because I worry about the humidity and wet birds, even if I point it the right direction? Would wetting the dirt cause the same issue? I can put a fan out there if I use an extension cord, but I’m gone 9 hrs a day for work. I can put ice in their water in the AM but it melts before the hottest part of the day.

I’m thinking of adding a fan in the coop to blow out hot air/humidity - definitely running overnight and maybe during the afternoon. Having a difficult time finding one that isn’t massive or solar powered.

I’d appreciate any advice y’all have. I included a photo of Darlene doing her favorite thing two days ago: baking in the sunshine. RIP Darlene, she was a sweet hen.

 

[NatJ]

I plan on limiting treats (though I only give fruits, veggies, nuts, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and scratch occasionally). Not sure if the fruits and veggies are okay while on a diet, but I think they’re essential during summer (frozen peas, cold berries, watermelon, etc.).

If you want the hens to lose weight, I would completely skip the nuts, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and scratch. All of those are high-calorie treats.

I would expect the vegetables and fruits to be fine. They are mostly water and fiber, which would not cause trouble. (Maybe not give them avocado, as it does have more calories than most other fruits & vegetables.)

They have feed out 24/7, as well as grit and calcium sources. I worry about restricting their feed and competition for it in the pecking order.

Another way to give them extra water in the hot summer: put some of their normal feed into a bowl and add cold water.

Chickens typically love to eat it, but you generally don't have to worry about it making them fat. When they are full of wet feed, they eat less dry feed, so it comes out to about the same thing in the end.

Their run is 78sqft, but there’s not much for them to do for exercise. They only scratch around to look for treats, and now they’re on a diet. They are in the run 23 hours a day because I live in a dense neighborhood with dogs. I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour. I know it’s not enough and wish I had the means to do better (I rent).

Does the run have anything they can sit on top of or go underneath? Even an old chair can make it a little more interesting, and going up & down is more exercise than staying put on one level.

To encourage scratching, give them things to scratch for. Obvously this an can include vegetables and fruits, but a handful of fresh bedding will often get them scratching too. Or take a shovel and turn over a scoop of the bedding they already have. Consider adding things like dry leaves or a bale of hay, which they will tear apart and re-distribute. If you pull weeds from the yard, and they have not been sprayed with any pesticides, chickens typically like to have those too. Dandelions and plantain and clover are definitely safe for chickens, and so are many others.

Chickens can also scratch through grass clippings and enjoy eating some of them. Cautions: not from grass that has pesticides or fertilizer added, and the grass clippings need to be short enough they don't make a mat in the gizzard. As a very rough estimate, if a blade of grass is long enough to tie in a knot, it's probably better to cut it shorter. The obvious way to have shorter grass clippings is to cut the grass more often.

Most of my ideas will have the chickens eating more plants than they otherwise would. Green plants are pretty low in calories, and should not make the chickens fat, especially if it causes the chickens to get more exercise (scratching and pecking), and to have more interest in other things so they don't spend time eating from boredom.

As far as keeping them cool, I feel like it’s extra hard in FL due to the humidity. It’s about 90F when they go to roost, and decreases to about 75F overnight. About 1/4 of the coop walls are windows for airflow. It has a metal roof which I’m sure doesn’t help. Can I do something about that besides replace the roof? It’s not even June yet, and August/September are brutal here.

Can you put something over the metal roof so the sun does not hit it directly? Maybe one of those things people put up for picnics, sort-of like a tarp on long poles.

The run also has a roof, so direct sun doesn’t penetrate too much. They have deep shade underneath the coop at the end of the run. They are under there every day in the afternoon, panting away. Misters are probably out because I worry about the humidity and wet birds, even if I point it the right direction? Would wetting the dirt cause the same issue?

You could try wetting the dirt in just one corner and then watch whether the chickens spend time there or whether they avoid it. One weekend of wetting a corner and observing their behavior will probably be enough to answer the question.

I think they’ve put on some weight in the last few weeks. I didn’t notice at the time because they’re so fluffy, and I feel guilty about that.

Since you are worrying about this, I suggest that you weigh each hen and write down how much she weighs, and the date.

Then you can check in a few weeks and see if they are gaining more weight, or losing a little, or staying the same.

Fluffy feathers don't fool a scale.

I worried they would be getting too much calcium from their feed since they’re not producing eggs, so I started supplementing with Kalmbach 20% all flock feed. Although I was mixing it in with their layer feed, I think they’ve put on some weight in the last few weeks. I didn’t notice at the time because they’re so fluffy, and I feel guilty about that.

I'm not sure what to say here.

If they are not laying, they do not need the extra calcium from the layer feed.
I'm not sure if the all flock feed made them gain weight, or if something else did it.

If you do want to provide extra protein, the all flock would be a better choice than mealworms and black soldier fly larvae (which do have a lot of protein but also have a lot of fat.)

They have feed out 24/7, as well as grit and calcium sources. I worry about restricting their feed and competition for it in the pecking order.

I would also worry about them competing and the lower birds going hungry, so I think you are right to look for other solutions first.

If you later decide you have to restrict their feed, one option would be to separate them at mealtimes (maybe each hen in a dog crate by herself) and give each one the amount you think she should have. If you try that, definitely keep track of their weights and adjust the amount of food they get, because they can't self-regulate their feed intake in a situation like that.

I do try to let them out every day for at least an hour. I know it’s not enough and wish I had the means to do better (I rent).

It's nice that they get out some instead of not at all.

 

[coach723]

I'm in Florida as well, I lost one of my larger hens on Saturday to heat stroke, the high was 99. I did open her up and look, and get a liver temp, as I suspected it was the heat. She was fat, lots of abdominal fat, and her liver temp, at that point was 115.5 f. She also had signs of fatty liver disease. Which makes them much more susceptible to the heat. I don't feed a lot of treats, but some birds are genetically predisposed to store fat, so it can take very little for those ones to get fat. I don't give a lot of fruit, mostly mine get muscadines when they are ripe, as I'm usually drowning in them (I have vines). It's a better idea to work on other ways to give them ways to cool off. Though I do agree, that most of the treats should be discontinued, and only do the frozen stuff when it's really hot and needed. A sprinkler running in part of the run can help, a hose left on trickle in a spot in the shade. Shallow pans of water in the shade they can stand in. I have a box fan in my coop that blows out and it runs all summer, day and night, to help move the air. I built a new coop about a year ago and my main goal was ventilation. I raised the ceiling much higher, one whole side at the top has a 2 foot opening covered in hardware cloth so warm air can move out. If your coop is not well ventilated, you may need to add some. A poorly ventilated coop becomes a hot box. A hose running on the roof of the coop can help some. I have used large vinegar jugs, filled with water and frozen, to hang in front of box fans, makes simple air conditioning, I will do that sometimes on very hot days to cool the coop a bit before they go in for the night. Frozen smaller bottles of water can go in waterers, to help cool those (they do have to be refreshed frequently, my freezer is packed in the summer ) . On really hot days it can get to be a lot. This is looking like it's going to be a hot summer here, so far. If your run doesn't have a lot of shade, work on increasing that. You can use sun shades/sails to make shady areas for them, but make sure they are high enough off the ground, if they are too close to the ground they radiate heat and make it worse rather than better. Plant shrubs and trees if you can, they also help cool things. I also keep a bucket of water, sitting in the shade, at the ready. If you are 'lucky' enough to see it happen, you can quickly dunk them to start them cooling. I did save one bird a few years ago that way. It was a near thing, I just happened to be out there and saw her go down. She took a week in the cool house before I put her back outside. I've lost several over the years to heat stroke.

 

[Bawkbok]

Another Floridian here - our girls are struggling terribly. Panting all day and most of the night. We also have fans running 24x7, a small one in the coop and three large box fans for the run. They are never turned off.
We've tried the shallow dish of water, they end up scratching and making it mucky and then drinking it so that doesn't work for this clan.
We provide cold watermelon every day and cold greens, mostly from the garden, kale, lettuces, herbs a couple times a week - they love the greens. Sometimes grapes and blueberries which does provide runnier poops but nothing serious. I would think you're ok with the greens and watermelon. I would eliminate all the other treats except maybe a small amount of scratch once a week as a special treat. Scrambled egg with wet mash is a special treat.
Electrolytes / vitamins a few days a week and a lot of cold water changes.
I like Coach's idea of frozen vinegar jugs; I would have never thought of that.
It's ok that you only let them out for an hour a day. They don't need to be expending too much energy in the extreme heat of the day. We let ours out for yard time one to two hours pre sunset, depending on the extreme of the weather. Some exercise is better than none. I would be more worried about heat stroke out in the yard and then having to search for them. If they are confined, it's easier to quickly administer to them if there's a problem.
I recommend a fan if you can. Put it so it blows on them under the coop since that's where they like to lay. They will move if it is too much for them. Yes, it means running an extension cord to the house. I wouldn't worry about the risk if it is plugged into a GCFI outlet as it will auto shut off if there is a power surge or other problem.
@coach723, I'm so sorry to hear you lost a hen to heat stroke. This is my biggest fear. We are in for a long hot one I fear.

 

[GuineaMania]

I wouldn't worry about the wet dirt. My chickens absolutely love when I wet their dirt in the heat, they dust bathe and sit in it all day. Instead of entirely restricting their feed intake, you could have the feeders out for just part of the day. I leave my feeders out until I'm sure even the low pecking order chickens get to eat, then I put them up until later when it is time for them to eat again. So sorry for your loss.