It's hot everywhere How do you keep pastured birds alive, cool and eating?

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It about made me sick to toss mine into the wheelbarrel. I would have gotten about $20 each for them, so that was around a $500 net loss.

I know it was like throwin away our wallets

 

[erinchelsea]

I'm so sorry for your losses. We butchered our CX and large Red Rangers yesterday because I could tell they weren't going to last much longer in this heat. I told DH I'm never doing meaties in the summer again, next time it will be fall.

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

We planned to finish up our broiler production before July 4 this year with our next butcher date mid-October. We avoided the heat wave. Our cow panel hoop tractors, lower numbers of chickens per tractor, full and functional waterers and early morning feeding seem to do the best you can with broilers.
I have now lost four older layers in the heat. BRF laments the loss of broilers but a layer is an expensive animal to lose. Fortunately this year's pullets seem to be doing fine but I opened up the now empty broiler hoop structures to give the layers room to rest in the shade.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

It about made me sick to toss mine into the wheelbarrel. I would have gotten about $20 each for them, so that was around a $500 net loss.

Wow, that is horrible. I think the best thing is careful planning on the timing of the birds. I live in Southern Florida and I timed it just before our temps went up.

I will be getting another batch in the middle part of the fall, don't want to risk waiting to late either as even Southern Florida has some crazy cold temps. This past winter was fine but the prior two were brutally cold for days on end. We lost a banana tree and yielded 0 bananas that year. This year we have many bunches. It is great and my layers in waiting LOVE THEM. My turkeys love them as welll. Everyday I go out in the late afternoon when the weather begins to cool down with an hour before sunset and give them all treats. They are so happy and come running at me so fast with their wings flapping, so adorable.

 

[mstricer]

I have 2 weeks left with my 48 CX's, oops 47 hawk got one. I had them closer to the house, but the morning sun was baking them and they were using my rose garden as a cooling station, lots of poop. Lucky for me we have an acre of woods on our lot, and one very old large elderberry tree. They love it out there. During the heat of the day that side of the lot is all shade and breeze from the woods. We have recently installed a hose highway, that can be disconnected at different watering stations.

 

[JHaller]

I'm raising 14 Heritage Whites in a scorching Texas backyard. I discovered that inexpensive Mylar blankets over the coop roof noticeably drop the temps inside, and some of the birds prefer to shelter there during the hot part of the day. I'll measure the difference when I find a thermometer.

They get about 2 hours a day under the mister string, which is under a 10x10 ft pop-up canopy, set to the lowest position. They bathe in the resulting mud (!).

It may not be practical for larger operations, but shallow pans of water with bricks in them give the birds a place to stand in water to cool off, as well as providing a backup water supply.

It's a lot of work. If I ever raise meaties again, I sure won't do it in the summer. I let a broody hen start them for me, so I just need to figure out how to get her hormones working on a more convenient schedule....

Judith

 

[jrsckn]

Wow, that is horrible. I think the best thing is careful planning on the timing of the birds. I live in Southern Florida and I timed it just before our temps went up.

Even the most careful planning goes down the drain when highs/lows go 20 degrees above normal for two weeks in a row.

 

[ChickInDelight]

You need better dogs.

Train those dogs and cats! Mine have all been trained to get along - free range everyone. (Okay, I do have Penny Henny that comes through the doggy door into the house, but otherwise, all my animals have been properly socialized.

I need to sacrifice my outdoor auto-waterer in order to turn on my 'spa'. I have a broken hose wrapped around a tree that spews water across branches and makes a puddle. Mostly, the ducks like it, however, I find even the chickens get close to the spray. Since it is outdoors, under the pines, cool breezes through trees with mist seems good. I actually just put 2 of my chickens in the kiddie pool. They seemed no hurry to get out.

When the spa is not operational, I go out and spray the hose about everywhere - across tree branches and whatnot. My chickens are panting in this heat and egg shells are warped!