Important for anyone who loves their chooks

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

I had a swamp cooler in my house when I lived in NM. Those things are awesome, easy to fix and cheap to run. Sadly they don't work if there's any humidity so useless here in PA. Your chickens sure must be happy with their cooler. Really great of you to take such good care of them!

I hear you on the swamp cooler. That's why installed misters outside each side of my coop and put dueling fans inside. The misters bring the temperature down and the fans pull the cooled air into the coop. Yes we get a little mud. But I have a steel grating walkway so it's not a problem.

I've had more hens in my coop this year than ever before. Usually they find shade and dig a hole to sit in all day.

 

[1OldCrow]

I can relate to the heat...and fear I'll find a hen in distress or worse. Glad your favorite hen is coming back to you!!
Our desert temps are always hot, but this summers been more humid than last, and our new flock has been getting broken in to outside living. Others have already posted about
1. Lots of water ( small pool, spraying the run, and frozen water bottles in the water can)
2. shade
I'll add a 3rd, a mister fan.
Between all 3 , our hens have come thru 115-118 temps, and are surviving the 107-109 cool down . Hoping these continue to bring our girls comfort.
Best to you!!
Updating post---- another member did mention mister fans

 

[Mturner]

Hello Everyone,
Im posting this today because i had a pretty difficult day, but i learned alot from this difficult lesson
Knowing that the weather here has been in the 110-115 degree temps i went to check on my girls. And found my favourite hen of all Houston (my only speckled sussex) was flat on her stomach her head was over her back and her wings straight out she looked dead, she was definitley a shade of blue. I immediatley picked her up and set her in their little pool i have for them and splashed water up on her all the while hysterical and praying for her to come back to me. i then tried to breathe into her beak as she wasn't breathing and just when i was about to quit she moved very slightly. That gave me hope so i rushed her inside, in the a/c tried to give her water very very slowly. she coughed up some weird slime and drank very little. i then gave her a drop of poultry cell and she drank it but kept passing out in my arms. Every now and then she would wake up but her head would twist up over her back like she was about to die which scared me. I would just lightly push her head back into a normal position. She was unable to move her feet at all or really any part of her body. it went on like this for hours and hours. i just held her, swaddled her up in my fluffy jacket and cried and kissed her little head and told her its okay mommys here and i wasnt letting her go anywhere certainly not to the afterlife, oh no i was intent on making sure my baby will go on to live a long long happy life.
She finally woke up on her own and started to move her feet. i brought her outside to check again on the rest of the girls and feed them and theyre all doing good. she didnt move at all but i did get her to eat food on her own, alot of it too. she finally got her bowel functions back but...unfortunatley i dont think that shes all there in her head...she looks extremley confused at everything even me but im not going to let this stop me from helping my baby.

Im proud to let you all know that she is now up and walking around (very confused and slowly) but still she even jumped up and flapped her wings to get up on my lap. I think she suffered a horrible heat stroke and i do think she is brain damaged but, she is alive and doing a lot lot better. Right now shes slowly walking around just staring at everything like its the first time shes ever seen it. If your chickens get heat stroke just make sure to get them hydrated and cooled off but not so much they go into shock. just very slowly and then wait. they will come to on their own you just got to give them time. As im sure you can get from my post i LOVE my girls. they mean so much to me and have comforted and been there for me when no one else was. i used to fall asleep in their coop with them in my lap or right by my side on nights when they were frightened of the thunder or fireworks. i share a close bond with my chickens and im sure you all do to. Stay hydrated and safe out there, I love you all

We live in Fort Worth Texas and it is 100-110 most days!!
We have 8 hens and I love them all!! They have a covered coop and run, a cooler for their water and I put large blocks of ice in it every day, but the thing that helps the most are the misters we installed and have them on a timer to come on for 20 minutes every hour until sunset!!!

 

[Velvet Sparrow]

Man, that sucks. I'm in northern Nevada and the heat here has been brutal for weeks--105 to 107. So glad Houston is doing better, given time she might be back to her old self. You sound like you take excellent care of your pets and a wonderful chicken lady.

It might be worth a try to give her what I call my 'Head Boink' treatment (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page): http://jackshenhouse.com/Injuries.htm
I know she didn't suffer a physical head injury, but if there is brain swelling, it may help (and can't hurt!).

When it's this darned hot I make 'chicken popsicles' for my flock--big tupperware containers I fill with cut-up fruit & vegetables, add water till they're covered and freeze. I give them to the flock during the hottest part of the day. I also go out every 2 hours when it's hot and hose off under bushes where the chickens hang out, mist the birds off, etc. to cool everyone down. For birds suffering from the heat, I bring them inside and give them electrolyte solution.
I've also used Bovidr Poultry Drench to perk them up just about instantly (also great for baby chicks), this stuff is amazing: https://www.nutridrench.com/copy-of-pets-dogs-cats

Hang in there, Houston!