HELP! CHICKENS SUFFERING FROM WILDFIRES AND HEAT!

[krys2000]

Hi all!

We live in Colorado Springs and, sadly, we're experiencing one of the worst wildfires in history.

The current Waldo Canyon Fire stats look like this:

18,500 acres burning, 5% contained, 1008 fire fighters, 500 sheriff/police, 27 crews, 73 engines, 100's of structures burned, 32,000 evacuees, NO injuries!​

We've also had record setting heat numbers.

My poor chickens are outside dealing with all of this while we sit with cool and filtered air inside. People in our town are losing their chickens and we need help. We're all being very conscientious regarding making sure they have water and cold treats like melons and strawberries.

We can't realistically afford to buy ac units or diapers for our girls. My backyard gets full sun. We do allow them to free range for most of the day so they can go hide under the deck or bury themselves in our sandpit.

So, with all of this in mind, and the idea that we have to be really careful with our $ as some of us might still be called to evacuate, can any of you give suggestions as to how to help our chickens survive?

Thank you so much for your help!

The Chicken Lovers of Colorado Springs!

 

[cutlerfam7]

I feel that you are doing a lot to help them. Only thing I can think of is giving them a fan or bringing them inside with you.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Have you considered a mister system? It can lower the temp in the immediate area. I am not sure of how much water it would use, but I understand it may be hard to justify it in this dry spell...

 

[babyrabbitjones]

So incredibly sorry you and your neighbors are having to deal with this.....
I have never experienced wildfires, but I live in eastern GA where it gets pretty hot.
If it was my birds, I would make sure they have a cool shaded hideout where they could get away from the heat/smoke. I would also add some electrolyte/vitamin supplement to their water to boost them up during this time of stress. ( but not too much, or they won't like the taste and won't drink as much as they need to to stay hydrated). I also put ice in my girls water when it's really really hot.
Good luck, we'll be thinking about all you guys out there!!!

 

[mynamesjenelle]

Hi Krys, I live in the springs too! Check out the Colorado thread - we've been talking about this since the weekend. Strangely enough, this fire started right after we had our very first meetup on Saturday afternoon. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/68894/colorado/5820

My girls have been really suffering. We're on the north side of town near Chapel Hills so all the smoke goes right for us. For the past two afternoons, they went in the spare bathroom downstairs:




For some non-indoor-chickenpoo ideas, try spraying down some areas in the shade really well with a garden hose a couple times a day. When we spray down a part of the yard, they go right for it and start dustbathing to get the wet dirt on their skin. It really seems to help. I've also been freezing big chunks of ice to put in their water as well. There's not much you can do about the smoke aside from taking them inside, but keeping them cool will help quite a bit. I would also recommend sav-a-chick since people say it helps them in times of stress, but I haven't been able to find anywhere in town that has it

What part of town are you in? If you do have to evacuate we have some people nearby who can take chickens.

 

[Leslieb118]

I went over to Lowe's a little while ago and picked up a Cobra Mister. It was $15.00. More expensive than what I wanted to pay, but Tractor Supply didn't have the $10.00 one I was looking for. This one is a very stiff hose that you can uncoil and stand up (Think Cobra snake) and point where you want it to. It has 2 misters on the end. I uncoiled it and hung it towards the top of the run pointing down. They're loving it out there right now. It was outside in the Garden Dept. I also put a gallon waterer with Sav A Chick in it, and another gallon waterer with regular water. They've got a kitty litter pan with wading water in it as well. It's only 1:00 here right now and it's already mid 90's forecasted to be 103* today. I have watermelon to give them a little later in the day along with some fresh spinach. I've frozen some plastic cups full of water and I dump the chunk of ice in their wading water and let it melt in there. I have gallon milk jugs with water in them in the freezer to put in the coop. Everytime someone in the house drinks something that comes in a plastic bottle, I grab it and fill it with water and in the freezer it goes.
DH called me a few minutes ago and asked what all I was doing today. I told him about the mister I bought for the chickens and he laughed at me, telling me that chickens have been around for 100's of years and that I'm crazy. To each his own I guess!

Sorry you're going through the wildfire problems out there. I hope you and your family are safe and continue to be. Good luck!

 

[crchickens]

I don't have water run out to the pasture, which is where the chickens are. We cart our water out. I have been going out every 30 minutes and spraying the girls with a water bottle. I have ice in the water, a wading pool for them, and dumped water on the ground so they can lay down and cool themselves. also freeze jugs of water and put the frozen bottles out there for them to lay against. They do lay by them, so it helps. I am so sorry you are dealing with the fires. My sister in law, bro in law, and niece live there, and I am so worried about them. I think I would bring my chickens inside to avoid the smoke, even if it makes a mess. Do you have a garage you can keep them in?

 

[Life is Good!]

Another idea -

Think shade canopy using either sticks or a plastic table you can cover. Get an old bedsheet or beach towel - soak it through. Drape over the plastic table or use sticks (or tent poles) to create a shady cooler area. If you've got an old tent hanging around that you're not using - cut the bottom out and wet the whole thing then put it up wet. Again, something shady and wet...

Better yet, if you've got one of those pop-up canopies or even a beach umbrella - stake those out around the yard...Just make sure they won't get blown over if the wind comes up. That'd scare the living daylights out of my hens!

 

[GrandmaChickie]

For those using wading pools, someone else was just asking about that, and I replied that I couldn't see a chicken using one. But here are two people in a row mentioning having them out. What size of pool? How deep of water? Do the chickens really hop on in there and splash around? Thanks for the info! Going to get 103 here in Southwest Missouri today, and my teenage daughter just texted me that she "can't" get the chicken waterer open to put in fresh ice, and I'm stuck at work!

and

and

Hate teenagers, worried about my chickens and hoping they'll be okay!

 

[Leslieb118]

For those using wading pools, someone else was just asking about that, and I replied that I couldn't see a chicken using one. But here are two people in a row mentioning having them out. What size of pool? How deep of water? Do the chickens really hop on in there and splash around? Thanks for the info! Going to get 103 here in Southwest Missouri today, and my teenage daughter just texted me that she "can't" get the chicken waterer open to put in fresh ice, and I'm stuck at work!

and

and

Hate teenagers, worried about my chickens and hoping they'll be okay!

I'm just using a kitty litter pan filled with water. They don't splash around in it, but they do walk in it. I tossed some spinach in it to get them to notice it. One of my older hens always has a tendency to step into the aluminum pans I put out with treats in it. My young ones have managed to figure out where the 110 gallon horse water tank is and have jumped on the edge of it, but I've quickly gone to shoo them away from that, as it's much too deep. With the kitty litter pan, I've had to toss some frozen water bottles in it to cool it off because right now it's 102* and I put my hand in it and it was hot.