Heat wave + hormones =

[Sara Ranch]

A heat wave + hormones =

* the terrible two's
* the troubled teens
* PMS (chickens, not me)
* reduced egg production
* at least one boyfriend/girlfriend break up (chickens)
* chickens wanted to go to bed later and later (all sleeping areas have good ventilation & are cooler than the interior of my house)
* and ever so hungry chickens!!! ** this I don't get! I'm barely eating, covered with sweat, so thirty...and these guys have doubled their food intake & quadrupled their water intake!

There's plenty of water - I have been going out and refreshing/refilling the water sources multiple times a day. Lol - I had one rooster stick his whole head into the pitcher of water multiple times to cool off! It was cute to watch.

There's plenty of shade for them. Usually a breeze for them as well.

Need this heat wave to end! Central air conditioning would be nice too.

 

[centrarchid]

What I see first is a change in feeding / foraging. Intake reduced overall and less consumed during heat of the day. Mine will fill crop and drink up within first our of coming off the roost. During heat of day they try to stay in shade although most sun themselves immediately after feeding up in the morning. Some will drink during middle of day if it is close to shady area. Chicks and juveniles will feed during heat of day but try to stay in shade while doing so. About two ours before sundown they resume consumption then go to roost. I am not seeing late roosting when food is abundant. Birds most likely to be active late are subadult males (16 to 24 weeks). The will shift roosting sites to more ventilated areas. Owing to feed consumption decrease, egg production does drop. Egg production really slows once day time temperatures exceed 95 F. Younger birds roost up quicker when it is hot.

 

[Sara Ranch]

The oldest boys continue to whine about the heat...and the bicker.

Overall, everyone is heading to bed close to normal time (although a little later) except fort the girlfriend/boyfriend trio drama. I have to encourage those three into the coop. They are the last ones to go in, well after everyone else. (Short version - boyfriend wanted to move into the coop so badly that he was sneaking in at night close to closing time. I kept removing him and finally decided it wasn't worth the effort. Let him "move in" to the coop with his gf. The honeymoon phase didn't last long. He wants out of the coop and his old room back. She wants him to stay. He's staying, even though he's tried to break up with her multiple times in the last few days. He wants babies - she doesn't. The sister is open to being a chicken mama, but is hesitant to offer her rump to her sister's sorta ex boyfriend. Family politics and all that.) Oh, the drama!

The chickens free range. With this heat wave, every time they see me, they come running to me. If I sprinkle some food on the ground, they scarf it up. Normally, I don't feed them unless I am introducing someone new to the flock. So this behavior is different - running to me for food multiple times a day.

I am soooo going to appreciate the heat wave ending and temps dropping again. This over 100 degree heat, plus humidity, plus hormonal chickens is exhausting! On the bright side --- there is always a bright side --- the chickens don't have enough energy to carry through with the fighting, so it's mostly bickering. A short chase and a "tag - you're it!". Some yelling, hollering, and growling. Some hair raising. The rooster two step dance....