Is It Hot? Check on your chickens!!! We lost 2 young pullets today

[Elchick]

I'm so sorry about your birds. I lost 3 today too. This is not going to be my week. At the ranch I work at, it hit 114 degrees midday, I kid you not, the owner herself told me. What would you suggest doing to keep them cool at least until the sun goes down?

 

[jackiedon]

Rob,

I am so sorry for your loss. We get attached to our animals sometime more than our kids. My house will probably be full of chicks because I lost some last year due to the heat.

jackie

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Fans, fans and more fans. Cold water changed frequently. Lots of shade. Electroltyes. Cold, even frozen, fruit (e.g. watermelon) at various intervals. No heavy foods in the heat of the day. Immaculate conditions so as not to draw flies and other bugs in the heat.
(this kind of weather is really hard with work - afraid to leave them for long)

Two summers ago we had insane dew points and triple digits for days. I only had 2 chickens so this was much more doable for me, but when the forecast got even worse (it was to be 115 for the following 3 days) I put them in my basement for those days, until the heat wave broke. They were handling 100 till that point but I felt grave concern about them getting through 3 more days of even worse conditions - had a bad feeling about it. Mind you, no one slept for those 3 days - much loved hen Betty bellyached impressively, wanting to come upstairs and BJ crowed to beat the band (he's usually pretty quiet) - and my bedroom was right above "their room" but in the comparatively cooler basement they recuperated from the many days of wicked heat. Kept bringing them things to occupy their time - trays of dirt to dig in, healthy treats etc. It was a very happy day for all when they got to go back out and it took me a week to clean that basement room!

Even with the best efforts, the universe can be far from kind. Sad and sorry for everyones losses.

JJ

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I'm sorry Nifty. I bet you never thought it could get that hot, and that it would affect your chickens so severely. But thank you for posting this - it may save more lives than the ones you lost.
Feel better soon.

 

[Psittizen Shikkin]

It was 111 here day before yesterday and what we do when it gets that hot is change water frequently as well as wet down their runs and use a water nozzle that has several settings and put it on mist and mist them down good. The turkeys really seem to be affected by the heat more so than the other birds so we've set up a fan and leave it blowing against one side of their pen. It also helps to move the mist and they'll come stand in it to cool off. I've tried the frozen bottles and jugs of water but they just act afraid or ignore them.

 

[Lunachick]

I'm sorry you lost your two birds. That kind of heat is brutal.

Glad you saved the other one tho.

 

[kart_chicks]

I am so sorry.

 

[Ellie]

Nifty, I don't know where you are, but it was 112 and they say going to 115 in Redding. The smoke has kept the temp down they say.....

I am so sorry that you and your family lost chicks. I am right there with you. Two of mine are less than a month old and others three months. I actually worry more about the big, grown girls. They pant a lot, but who doesn't in this blast furnace?

I hope your other chickens will do well. Do you put sprinklers on in their area? That has seemed to help a little, cools it down and they flock to the damp grass after they turn off.

Again, I understand completely and would guess you did everything you could to cool them off.

Ellie

 

[Reinbeau]

Hi temp today was 91.8, but the heat index was 105. The humidity these past few days has been terrible. I put the girls in their coop last night, they had to get out of that brooder box, they were way too crammed. I'll post another thread about them. But I was worried about them today. They did well, I guess, the coop is insulated and shaded in the afternoon, so things were hot in there but not unbearably so. I pity you guys in that heat, I can't even stand these temps, nevermind 115!

 

[miss_thenorth]

We are in a hot spell right now--it was 99F today not including the humidex. I am extremely concerned about my meat birds. Other than fans and misters what else can we do for them? The other chickens are just fine.