Isnt the heat supposed to decrease egg production?

[babyrnlc]

I keep expecting the girls to slow up. I am not complaining, I am just confused., It is HOT, I mean SUPER HOT. IT was 107 yesterday and the highs this week will all be over 103 and it seems it has been this way for at least a month. WE are happy when we get a day in the 90's.

The girls have not skipped a beat though. We have 8 that are laying now (two of our 5 month old pullets started laying this week and we got a rescue that lays), so we are getting 7-8 eggs a day still. Occationally we will get 6. We got 5 once.

This does not seem normal. The only thing I do is make sure they have fresh cool water and spray the coop down once a day. They get out to free range every other dayish. (I still have to watch my dogs when they are out, plus we have a lot of hawks.

Again, I am not complaining, but I just wonder if this is ok, could it hurt them? (not sure how I could stop it anyway.) And one of the girls chose now to go broody!

 

[char259]

We are in the very high 90's and low 100's everyday. I'm still getting 5 or 6 eggs a day from my 6 girls. They seem to be happy, so I'm not complaining either!

 

[LindsayB]

Its been very hot here too but ours are still laying every day, I'm not complaining either!

I guess some chickens can just handle it better than others. Mine are used to the heat, they really don't act too stressed out when the 100 degree heat sets in. They just rest underneath the shade of the coop and come back out when the sun starts to go down.

 

[yinepu]

I think it's because some can find cooler spots to lay and so they can keep cool..
a friend of mine has rabbits.. he has lost 16 so far to the heat.. I have rabbits.. I have lost 0 due to the heat.. my friend lives about a mile away
the difference.. mine are under some big old oak trees where you can feel a nice breeze.. his are under a carport where you can't feel much air movement at all.. so mine stay cooler even though its been in the low 100s out
So i believe it's the same with chickens.. mine may stop laying if they can't find some nice place to get away from the heat.. while yours may have someplace where they can dig down and stay cool and so they continue laying like it's still spring

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
Its funny you meantioned rabbits. We also have 5 rabbits in a colony, They are doing well too, and there are 5 pg does!

 

[LindsayB]

We have a rabbit on our back porch and I have a indoor/outdoor thermometer hanging next to the hutch. the high on our porch in the shade has been around 98 all week. We have a box fan blowing directly on him and he seems to be doing okay. I worry about him alittle more than the chickens in the heat. I wouldn't feel too good wearing a fur coat in this heat.

 

[dewey]

We've had many days of 110+ and the girls are all still laying, even the 2 that have been molting for weeks. I just keep thinking I'd have taken a break by now, lol.

 

[flowergirl60]

Mine are still laying as normal, so no complaint here. They were even arguing over the nesting box yesterday try to lay at the same time.