OK. So this post will identify me as the true geek that I am, but.....
We here in Maryland had a nice cool spring for a change and only in the last couple of weeks has it gotten hot and humid. The first week of June my 4 hens (11 months old so maybe they are still technically pullets?) were averaging 3.6 eggs/day at an average of 58.6 g each. This last week of June they averaged 2 eggs/day at an average of 55.7 g each. That's a pretty dramatic decrease.
Their coop/run gets sun in the morning, but is in the shade from 11 am through the rest of the day. The run is covered so there is always some shade for them. I've been putting ice in their water in the am and feeding them cold watermelon in the afternoon (spoiled, I know!). They get to free range in the late afternoon and seem to split their time between the woods and the open yard. The temps last week were only in the low to mid 90s (although dew points were mid 70s at times) which is certainly not as hot as it sometimes gets around here. The coop is too far from the house to run electricity for a fan, and when I tried to mist the chickens they had a fit and ran from the water.
Any other ideas on how to reduce the heat stress? This is my first summer having chickens. Should I just expect this kind of drop in production? Is this much drop in production a sign that they are dangerously stressed? The breeds involved are 2 Barred Rocks, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte, and 1 EE.
Thanks!
We here in Maryland had a nice cool spring for a change and only in the last couple of weeks has it gotten hot and humid. The first week of June my 4 hens (11 months old so maybe they are still technically pullets?) were averaging 3.6 eggs/day at an average of 58.6 g each. This last week of June they averaged 2 eggs/day at an average of 55.7 g each. That's a pretty dramatic decrease.
Their coop/run gets sun in the morning, but is in the shade from 11 am through the rest of the day. The run is covered so there is always some shade for them. I've been putting ice in their water in the am and feeding them cold watermelon in the afternoon (spoiled, I know!). They get to free range in the late afternoon and seem to split their time between the woods and the open yard. The temps last week were only in the low to mid 90s (although dew points were mid 70s at times) which is certainly not as hot as it sometimes gets around here. The coop is too far from the house to run electricity for a fan, and when I tried to mist the chickens they had a fit and ran from the water.
Any other ideas on how to reduce the heat stress? This is my first summer having chickens. Should I just expect this kind of drop in production? Is this much drop in production a sign that they are dangerously stressed? The breeds involved are 2 Barred Rocks, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte, and 1 EE.
Thanks!
