Sponsored Post It's HOT - Keep your birds feeling their best!

[JenniO11]

The following article is sponsored by Sav-A-Chick®.

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It’s HOT – Keep your birds feeling their best with Electrolytes

When the temperature rises, you may reach for an extra glass of water, juice or an energy drink to stay hydrated and feeling your best. Birds have similar needs, and may need an extra boost of electrolytes and vitamins when the weather gets hot, or if they are stressed in any way.

When a bird is stressed, it can affect their appetite and energy. Some of the common stress-inducing factors are:
· High environmental temperature which could lead to the following signs in the bird: an increase in water consumption, a decrease in feed consumption, spreading of wings, panting with increased respiration and seeking comparatively colder spots
· Handling of birds when cleaning coops or transportation to another site
· Exposure to disease and recovery, such as an intestinal disease (coccidiosis) or a respiratory disease (infectious bronchitis)

Recommendations

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Your birds’ drinking water is an easy way to supply nutrients when they are not eating and drinking enough. It is important to…
· Supply cool, clean water at all times
· Feed a well-balanced ration, that contains optimum levels of nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and trace minerals

Supplementing drinking water with vitamins and electrolytes is recommended especially when feed intake is impaired. Prepare fresh solutions daily and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Other significant benefits from supplementing drinking water with balanced vitamins include improved calcium absorption (vitamin D3) and intake of important antioxidants (vitamin E).


For more information visit: http://savachick.com/ or http://www.canadianpoultry.ca/backyard_poultry.htm

Reviewed by Canadian Poultry Consultants Ltd., a Veterinary practise dedicated to poultry health since 1989.

 

[brahmakid11]

here in nc its supposed to be 103 on friday

 

[ChezPoulez]

For those of you who live where it gets in the 90s and up, you can create a simple 'swamp cooler' for your girls with burlap sacks and a drip hose.

Take burlap sacks and cut them open, stitch them together to form a tarp big enough to cover the cages. Run a drip hose over the top and right along the edge so the water will drip down and saturate the burlap. Shade cloth won't work because it doesn't get 'wet', the water just runs off.

The weave of burlap is open enough to allow some air circulation without stifling them inside, and adds shade too. When the warm air hits the wet burlap it will cool by almost 15 degrees on even the hottest of days.

This is how my neighbor kept her Angora rabbits cool when the temps hit the triple digits.

 

[Lacy girl]

I like to treat my girls to chickencicles when it gets hot.. I make yogurt,apple sauce,pumpkin,water and raisin really the sky is the limit to what you could make. I use ice cube trays and fill them with this stuff and freeze it then pop them into a bowl let sit a couple minutes and serve. I also do smoothies one with all sorts of veggies and fruit. I hope this helps.. Jody

 

[LoriL]

I'm adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to their water, along with big chunks of ice, and also running a mister in the shade. The chickens have figured out the optimal distance for cooling breezes without getting too wet. Also gave them frozen grapes and cherries for treats. When it hit 105 today, they decided being wet was not a bad thing after all! I tried dipping them into a tub of water for a few minutes each, but they really did not appreciate that like I thought they should!

 

[MrCluck]

so is it ok to put a fan in the coop

 

[Abby2]

As my chookies are seniors I take them inside in laundry baskets during the hottest part of the day

I love my girls

 

[parentwarrior]

This is what I do. I have misters in my cage with a cheap box fan that blows through the droplets of mist. The misters are on during the day only. The fan runs 24 hours. At night I angle it to hit where they roost because our lows at night are still in the 90's. I covered the top of the cage where the misters are with a tarp to help the cool air stay in the area. They didn't like the misters at first but now they love them because it is so much cooler. I also freeze milk jugs with water and put in front of the fan under the misters so the air blows over the jugs. I also have some sand in the cage under the coop, I wet it down every morning. I plan to put small skinny frozen water bottle inside the water dispenser along with the water so it keeps the water cooler also. I live in the Phoenix area, it was 111 today. My guys are hot but comfortable. The cage is a lot cooler than the outside temps with all of this. I heard someone say they use a clear shower curtain on the outside of the cage to hold the cooler air in around the misters and fan. I might try that also to see if that works.
Kris

 

[Chic_girl]

I have been taking in a lot of suggestions from this thread in the past week- We've had several days of 90+ degree weather, including a delightful 101 degree day today.
My chickens love eating frozen grapes and watermelon, so thanks to those who suggested that! They don't enjoy being dunked in cool water, but it does cool them down.
Our county fair is next week, and with more HOT days, I'm planing on adding ice to their water all week, as well as placing damp towels over cages to cool them down. Someone suggested freezing bottles of water and placing them in cages for the rabbits at the fair, but perhaps my chickens will enjoy that as well.

Here's a picture of my clever little Barred Rock, Cora, who has been the only chicken to discover the cold foot-bath in their coop! No, I did not put her in there- she discovered it all by herself...

 

[Gigiintheforest]

My chickens are STRANGE! They love being misted. I have one of those twist style misters on one hose and a horse stall line mister strung through the trees about 5 feet up in one corner of their run. I also have a box fan going that blows the mist around. They all (11) stand in the mist and fluff and shake. I also use ice in the water and freeze watermelons and have two fans going in the coop at night. The coop has large windows on each end so there is lots of ventilation. They are doing great, still laying and healthy. It's been over 100 degrees for the last two weeks and 110-113 for the last three days here in Oklahoma.