I lost two dear hens yesterday

[pusskatkins]

I took every precaution, provided plenty of water, shade, even placed extra tubs of water for the chickens to stand in, but still lost two very dear, sweet hens to the scorching heat yesterday. As a matter of fact, and much to my shock, I found a three foot RATTLESNAKE, rattling it's rattle in my driveway at my cat!!! I wasn't even aware the Roanoke Valley had Rattlesnakes! Lord have mercy! What in the world is going on ?

 

[N&MSchroeder]

I am so sorry about your hens!

This extreme heat doesn't seem to want to end. As for rattlesnakes, they will show up when it is extremely hot/dry. They are usually looking for water. You probably don't want it hanging around if you have other pets/animals.

 

[turbodog]

Very sorry to hear of your loss.
Sometimes our best efforts still don't win.

Hope you killed the rattler. Don't need those around.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm so sorry. A dear friend lost 14 of her birds yesterday in spite of tons of attention to their welfare and is frantically trying to save 3 more. It's brutal out there!

 

[hennyannie]

I lost a barred rock hen yesterday, I was hoping it was not heat related, but fear it could have been.
I also worked extra hard the past few days keeping the water cool and checking their shade.
Very sorry for your loss and hoping some cool weather is headed our way.

 

[ivymae]

I'm so sorry for your loss. You aren't alone - we found one of our hens dead in the coop this morning from the heat. She never developed much in the way of a comb or wattles, so I guess she wasn't able to cool herself down. We had been giving them ice water, cold fruit, and bottles of frozen water, but it wasn't enough.

 

[jjthink]

So very sorry to hear of everyone's losses

To anyone reading this that hasn't already done so, and there may be a few, fans, fans, fans. Cannot possibly emphasize this enough. Need to move that air. Mine are standing in front of the fans like little movie stars ready for a photo shoot with the breeze blowing through their 'hair'. This in addition to ice blocks in their water, ample shade, icy fruit (and in my case also AC - I finally bowed to AC last summer when we landed on the sun then with day after day after day well above 100 degrees with heat index and dew points that were more stifling than a bad day in the tropics - I was obsessing relentlessly while at work and needed to do something).

When I slowly pour water out of a gallon jug on the unlevel cement part of their indoor or outdoor area, hen Ellie loves to follow its 'trail' and then sip some - in the process she gets her feet wet and it really helps her. She does not like it if I pour water fast or by her feet - seems it has to be her decision to approach the water. Okeedokee then.

It was 120 with heat index in NJ yesterday and 84 in Orlando, Florida. Madness. In lockdown in their building, the AC and fans were able to keep temps for BJ and Ellie well more than 20 degrees cooler than outdoors. Still not a walk in the park, but enough to stave off death, that day anyway. Not easy, this chicken thing!!!!

JJ

 

[Arielle]

So sad to learn of the deaths of many chickens to the heat. To all of you that have lost chickens, I'm so very sorry. Not everything is within our control despite our best efforts. FRiday was our hottest--the car registered 104. Thankfully the wind was blowing and the birds had many choices: under horse trailers, under bushes, lying in one of many "pits" as I call their dustbath holes, and many pans of water to choose from. By 9 pm the temps had dropped 20 degrees, thankfully. Today is still high, but not as high as yesterday. No rattlers here! Just chipmunks!

 

[ivymae]

Quote:
I took your advice, and we now have one of those giant orange extension cords running from our house to the coop so that we can keep a fan running for our remaining hen. The poor thing is probably being over-cooled now...I've been out there misting her as often as possible today. We always have hot weather here in South Carolina and the girls were fine last summer (their first). I've learned my lesson now; when the heat index is over 100 degrees, extreme measures must be taken to cool your flock.

 

[lowry075]

This weather seems to be so bad for so many of you. I am sorry you are losing your birds.

I hope it cools down soon for eveyone's sakes.