Is it the heat?

[ashrich6]

Help! So I lost a chicken 2 days ago. It has been over 100 degrees here in Salt Lake. Now I have another chicken acting lethargic and won't eat. She seems to have lost weight and her crop today seemed empty. She has been drinking a little water and her eyes and nose are clear. Her comb is a normal bright red color and I am not sure if she has laid any eggs or not. I am worried that something has hit my flock. Any ideas? Is it the heat?

She is 3 years old and it started 2 days ago right after Dolly passed away. It has been record breaking heat temps and I am wondering if she is struggling with that. She has shade, plenty of water and food.

Her tail feathers lay low sometimes.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm sorry you are experiencing illness in your flock.

Hmmmm...while heat can be bothersome, my birds simply pant and look miserable but don't die, not if they are in good overall health and have plenty of shade and water. (And mine are used to cool Oregon, so hot spells are very noticeable for them.)

You didn't mention the breed. Are they really susceptible to heat?

Try keeping them cool. Set out some (not a lot) watermelon and such.

Misting or sprinkling helps. Also make sure the water is in the shade where they are. Sometimes silly birds won't cross hot areas to get to water.

Look for anything that might have spoiled that they could have gotten into.

And keep watch. You might have something working its way through. Low immune systems will show up with stressors such as heat.

LofMc

 

[ashrich6]

I have 3 buff orpingtons and 1 buff brahma. The one that died was an easter egger and one of my buff orpingtons is sick. I have given them watermelon which seemed to help her a little bit. I have noticed mice around, could they pass something on?

The temp outside the day the easter egger died was 107 and maybe 110 in the coop. We have fans running in there but it still gets hot. She was in the coop when she died. It has been record breaking heat the past couple days.

I'm sorry you are experiencing illness in your flock.

Hmmmm...while heat can be bothersome, my birds simply pant and look miserable but don't die, not if they are in good overall health and have plenty of shade and water. (And mine are used to cool Oregon, so hot spells are very noticeable for them.)

You didn't mention the breed. Are they really susceptible to heat?

Try keeping them cool. Set out some (not a lot) watermelon and such.

Misting or sprinkling helps. Also make sure the water is in the shade where they are. Sometimes silly birds won't cross hot areas to get to water.

Look for anything that might have spoiled that they could have gotten into.

And keep watch. You might have something working its way through. Low immune systems will show up with stressors such as heat.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Ouch. 107 to 110 is HOT, and yes, that could definitely have been heat stroke.

Fans help, but in really hot weather misting is recommended. (My son-in-law is a farmer in Tennessee, and they have a misting system to keep their flocks cool in their hot summers).

Ice in a kiddie pool with water. Anything they can wade in can help.

Hope things cool down soon for you.

LofMc