Hot weather advice?

[DCS]

I lost 2 hens today. I presume it was the heat. I've had a grueling weekend at work, and between myself and DH have been very careful about plenty of water, and running the sprinkler on the run every afternoon. (My turkeys love running in the water.)

Today, I got home and discovered that they'd run out of water (it's a 5 gallon, with another 1g in the run), and 2 of my best layers were dead.

I can only presume it was the heat, as they were fine yesterday.

I haven't thought about it enough to get upset- was too worried getting the others cooled off, but I'm really angry at myself.

The heat index was 110 today. I've done the frozen milk jugs, but we don't buy soda and don't have 2L bottles lying around...

Poor Florida chickies...

 

[damselfish]

Oh, DCS, that's very sad, I'm sorry!

 

[Judy]

My coops are metal and open air. I hose the whole coop down from the outside at least once a day in this weather, and keep a fan running.

My lees-than-week-old chicks are out and about all day. No heat lamp for them!

 

[jaalb]

I live up in minnesota but we have hit some really hot days here now, 90+ and high humidity, what I have found my chickens (6 month) and babies love is large ice treats with either lettuce or strawberries frozen with in the block, then I hang it from a chain in the run, and let them go to town on it, the babies just get little ice cubes from a tray plus I put ice in the waterers for them

 

[ashyannehand]

I do some of the same things everyone else is talking about. I am in hot south Mississippi, 108 today with 85% humidity. My poor chickens look like they are going to melt!

I go out at least twice a day and give them fresh cool water and lots of it. I have about 45 chickens and I have a 5 gallon waterer, a five gallon bucket and two 2.5 gallon buckets. I also use the frozen water bottle trick. My hubby loves Lipton greet tea and thet make a gallon with a handle. The handle fits perfectly on the side of the bucket so I do not have to reach down in the water and recoever it ever afternoon. I do the same things for my dogs.

I also give my chickens plenty of cold treats as they become avaliable. It is watermelon season here and my dad always plants WAY too many so I will freeze them solid and take them out in the heat of the day and crack them open and GET OUT OF THE WAY!! LOL

I think most chickens are fine in the heat provided that they have enough water. Mine really drink a lot during this weather.

Take heart - this heat can not last forever - wait I live in Missisppi.....November is a long time off........

 

[astatula]

Plant a passion vine next to your run to provide shade. They grow 30 feet each year and are chicken friendly (non-toxic) plants, with hundreds of strange fragrant flowers. They can take over an entire landscape, so you need to manage them by trimming them back often.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

I have been freezing gallon milk jugs then placing them in front of the fan I have blowing into the run. I usually go thru 2 or 3 of the ice blocks daily, but it does seem to help as they all gather where the air is blowing off the ice....seems to have helped my egg production too. I am back to getting about 6/day out of my 8 girls.