Heat wave - worried about my girls!

[citymeetscountry]

Hey! We’re in Little Rock. Where are you?

Hey! We’re in Little Rock. Where are you?

Not too far from you (closer to the AFB)

Hey! We’re in Little Rock. Where are you?

I was gone all day today and they seemed to have done just fine.

Thanks for the tip!

Not far from you, closer to the AFB -we didn’t realize our house was in the flight path until the night we moved in. Whoops. Should have researched that before we bought it. But it’s fine, we adjusted quickly.

 

[dmartin101]

Not far from you, closer to the AFB -we didn’t realize our house was in the flight path until the night we moved in. Whoops. Should have researched that before we bought it. But it’s fine, we adjusted quickly.

Oh no! Glad you adjusted. Airplanes might be better than the gunshots we hear sometimes.

 

[citymeetscountry]

Oh no! Glad you adjusted. Airplanes might be better than the gunshots we hear sometimes.

Oh we’ve got that too! But that’s usually Camp training (or my neighbors on their personal ranges ). Quite different moving from a Northern Virginia city to a more rural area in Arkansas

 

[Mrs. K]

I would not dunk hot birds in cool water - shock could kill them. Panting and wings held out are just ways they are cooling themselves.

If they are moving well, eating, interested in things around them they are fine. If they lethargic, drooped or hunched up, then they are not.

Shade is most important and moves through out the day. Check at 4:00 to make sure there is adequate shade - generally the hottest time of day.

I too believe in damp soil, and extra water.

Mrs K

 

[want2know]

I am in Texas outside of San Antonio and it has been over 100 everyday for weeks(100-110). Every summer I put large plastic trays that are used for catching the water from large potted plants, and plastic rounds that I have found for other uses around my property and in their run. I have four of these pools available to them now and I only have 6 chickens. In a normal summer, I only had two, but this year has been brutal!
Because they are shallow, I fill them with water, and clean them every second of third day as the algae builds up. But they love them and they all stand in them throughout the day as they get hot. Fortunately

we live on a hill and have a deck that hangs over with a very large space about 4 feet high in spots underneath. Because the deck is covered and has trees to shade it, that is their go to spot in the hottest part of the day. They dig holes in the dirt and lay in them. They are not doing much foraging now during the hot days and so egg production has gone down.

 

[want2know]

Watermelon is the Super Summer fruit; for you and your chickens. Chickens are often times very reluctant to approach any new thing, so it helps if you start introducing the pools and the watermelon their first summer after feathering out.

 

[want2know]

I’m a new chicken mama and I’m so worried about my girls!

I’m in Arkansas and it’s going to be in the high 90’s for the next 2 weeks with a heat index of 105. The temp inside the run today was 94.

The run is covered and gets a nice breeze. They have electrolytes and plain water. I lightly misted the run floor and put a fan in it today, along with some ice and a pan of cool water. They weren’t at all interested in the ice or water. But they were panting and a couple had their wings out. I got so worried I dunked them in a bucket of water which stopped the panting for a little bit.

Other than the panting and moving around less, they seemed ok. Sometimes I even caught them sunbathing in sunny spots.

I won’t be home all day every day like I was today so I’m worried how they’re going to make it through the week.

What else can I do?

I have silver laced Wyandottes and speckled Sussex - all about 7 weeks old.

A Picture is worth a 1000 words. Multiple water sources, and the hotter it is, the more you should provide, as chickens don't always want to compete. We have a large Orpington that would rather not share. As long as they are shallow, they will seek them out and stand in them. Standing in water helps them lower their body temperature. Be diligent to refill when dry as in this kind of heat, they dry out quickly!

 

[Ccort]

Hey! Fellow Arkansan here! Heat index 112 where I am. My girls usually run and stand near the AC unit in the shade for relief in the heat. I also will put out frozen watermelon or other treats for them. Shade and water are so important. Hoping yours do fine. This is our 2nd summer with our girls (they’ll be 2 beginning of August)

What kind of ac unit do you have?

 

[citymeetscountry]

What kind of ac unit do you have?

It’s the outside units for the house not AC for the chickens. But it’s shady there and blows air and they seem to like it. Plus there’s a puddle they stand in. Here’s a pic I snapped earlier this month with them standing in their “cooling spot.” (At least I’m assuming that’s why they like that area)

 

[Ccort]

It’s the outside units for the house not AC for the chickens. But it’s shady there and blows air and they seem to like it. Plus there’s a puddle they stand in. Here’s a pic I snapped earlier this month with them standing in their “cooling spot.” (At least I’m assuming that’s why they like that area)

Ah! Lol. I thought you had some sort of small unit for the chickens themselves. After the crazy high temps we've been getting, I've been wishing my coop had ac.