How Chickens Respond to Extreme Heat

[centrarchid]

That would be great. What is she now...2?

Yes, 2, just now full adult.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen dumping heat with outspread wings after running / flying to get away from amerous stag.









Cock (and hen in background) dumping heat by same mechanism although actual temperature in upper 90's. Note much smaller chicks not doing since they are not heat stressed.

 

[baileybrood]

Chickens are most tolerant to high heat at about age yours are now. Keep them out of direct sun with lots of water and ventilation and they should do fine.

Thank you so much! I was really concerned about putting them out in this heat. Maybe I'll start with letting them out in the pen for a little while each evening and in a few days I'll leave them out all together. I know you're supposed to keep them in the coop at first so they know it's they're home but, with this heat, I'm going to have to let them roam around the pen during the hottest part of the day and only put them up at night. Hopefully they'll still figure it out!

 

[RaeRae2]

My chicken house is air conditioned and heated, so regardless of temperature outside, I can regulate them to what they need. We are in the 90s now and I let them go out in their run in the morning when it's still cool. In the afternoon, I call them into the house, close their outside door, and run the AC for them. Yesterday it was 91 outside and 75 inside their house. They all flopped out on their side in the shavings, right under the AC so it was blowing on them, and they went to sleep! It looked like a murder scene - chickens flopped out, legs sticking out straight - looked like somebody broke their necks and they were about to be plucked.

But they felt SO good to be in the cool, dry air!

This is their indoor house. I only open that big door when I'm there and can supervise, because anything could rip through that screen if they wanted to. But anyway, I keep the doors shut, and they still have windows for light to come in, but otherwise it's well insulated so the AC doesn't have to run much to keep it cool. Last winter I kept the house heated to about 50. So far nobody has had any problems with transitioning between the extreme outside temperatures, and the moderate inside temperature.

I do however have two old hens who free range 24/7 because they just flat refuse to be locked up. The one won't lay, they sqwak and fight continuously, and they run themselves ragged trying to get out. They won't perch at night with the others, but walk around screaming and freaking out. So - whatever! I just leave them run loose because after 3 months of dealing with their "I can't be locked up" drama, I just forget it. Do what you want. Those two go under the lilac bushes and they have huge holes dug in the earth. If you stick your hand in the holes, the dirt is cold and moist. They spend a lot of time wallowing around in those holes. They also can go in the horse barn, and they stand in front of the fans. Even the horse barn is usually 10 degrees cooler than it is outside, so they have a lot of options on where to go that is the coolest.





Their indoor house used to be the old Milk House for the dairy barn. Now it's a horse barn, and we built the run off the Milk House so we could turn that into their living quarters. The door where they go in and out is what actually was an old vent, it's about 2 feet x 2 feet square and it has a sliding steel door. I can slide the steel door shut once they're inside. It's worked SO well!

 

[BirdHaven2737]

First set of guinea keets, they are 1 week old yesterday. They are currently residing inside with a heat lamp because I was not sure about the extreme heat we are having in Missouri right now. All through next week looks like we will have 100+ weather.

Have a closed in non-heated/cooled porch room with lots of windows, but it has been topping 100+ degrees (I have seen it up to 105 so far) with the windows open/air movement through the porch.

I have not been able to find much guidance on keets at this age and the tolerable temperature. As it says they should be 90-95 at this age, so not sure if putting them out in the porch, if they could stand the heat during the late afternoon when it really gets hot. Then when it cools off at night turn the heat lamp on to keep at 90.

Could someone please advise?!?!

 

[HappyHenMama]

First set of guinea keets, they are 1 week old yesterday. They are currently residing inside with a heat lamp because I was not sure about the extreme heat we are having in Missouri right now. All through next week looks like we will have 100+ weather.

Have a closed in non-heated/cooled porch room with lots of windows, but it has been topping 100+ degrees (I have seen it up to 105 so far) with the windows open/air movement through the porch.

I have not been able to find much guidance on keets at this age and the tolerable temperature. As it says they should be 90-95 at this age, so not sure if putting them out in the porch, if they could stand the heat during the late afternoon when it really gets hot. Then when it cools off at night turn the heat lamp on to keep at 90.

Could someone please advise?!?!

I don't know about guinea keets, but I did this with my last two chicks. I live in central Texas where the temp is HOT, and i turned their heat lamp off during the day because it was plenty warm and at night when it cooled down I would turn it on. Worked great and they are alive and well to proove it!

 

[SummerChick]

I had a misting system in the chicken run and a box fan in the coop for the hot Texas nights plus i froze gallon jugs of water and smaller plastic bottles and placed in water pans, plus had a large round container that sat low to the ground they could stand in. It helped but the heat is awful! Thank goodness winters are not harsh here!

 

[jpcode]

Turn on a weak spray sprinkler, I have a few that like to get a little wet in it or just lay in the wet grass.