Losing another hen to this awful heat

[N&MSchroeder]

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Yes, I spray a couple of shaded areas in their run and that really seems to help.

 

[chicken grandma]

<3ChickenForever :

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awww I'm sorrry

I am very sorry also! Even up here in Michigan, we are sweltering! I also have a hen inside in a crate. She will be o.k. I brought her in as a precaution. She was broody and wanting to hang in the very hot 100 degree coop. I had to take action and she seems to be enjoying our air conditioning and tolerating the crate filled with water and goodies.​

 

[Jajika]

Oohhhh, this is awful news. I'm so, so sorry. What a frustrating situation to be in? Heat, water restrictions,---What can you do?

I lost a sweet Barred Rock a few years ago to heat and it still bothers me. I felt (feel) so awful about not protecting her from the elements.

My chickens live in a large fenced in area within my "mini orchard." There are five fruit trees and numerous bushes. The entire area is about 900 square yards.

I bought one of those "personal misters" from Home Depot. It is a twisited plastic tube with two misting plugs on one end, the other attaches to a hose.

I rigged it up in one of the trees so it is is above their heads pointing down. I dragged one of the garden hoses into the chicken yard. When it gets above 85 degrees I turn it on. The amount of water is insignificant in terms of usage and it cools down a large area in the run about 20 degrees lower. It is also in the shade, so usually the mist is high enough that they don't mind it but it is low enough to cool the area. I also purposely put treats in the same area to get them over to that side of the yard.

I started this routine after I lost Phoebe. So far, so good.

 

[GhostRider65]

Awww So very sorry top hear about the girls you all lost...... I fear I will find dead chickies each day.
Here in Wisconsin we aren't use to this sweltering heat, it's been 100 here with the heat indexes in the 112/ 115 degree range for over a week now....
this is the god awfullest weather I can remember in a very long time, we set records today again going back over 100 years, 110 index in GB,
My chickens been hanging there wings, and panting like dogs, a few haven't left the coop in a week, 2 fans running on them, but seriously I think it would be cooler outside as today we actually had a breeze.
I change there water 3 times a day add lots of ice and a frozen milk jug to the big 5 gallon waterer, I froze some cantaloupe rinds for them and they ate those up in a hurry.
I have thought about putting them all in my basement and if I knew how to keep them in one half of it I would, but no way to put up walls in concrete, and don't want to drill holes in it either. So I'm just praying they all make it.
Again so sorry about your girls............ what a sad sad thing.........
hugz to you all Kim

 

[Kijahni]

My first chickens are coming tomorrow and it is still really hot in Missouri. I am planning to freeze some pop bottles full of water and then change them out off and on. I could put a fan in the coop or run.....do the chickens try and peck at it? (i.e. can they hurt themselves with a fan?) If the fan blew at/through the ice bottles, they would have a sort of swamp cooler. Also, in another forum people had low baby pools in their runs. Would that help? I'm so excited about getting them. I would be really upset if I lost some of them right after getting them.

Priscilla

2 Barred Rocks
2 Black Australorps
2 Auracanas
3 sons
1 Doberman
1 Savannah cat
1 Ragdoll

 

[gritsar]

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Skip the baby pool for awhile. Young chicks are in danger of drowning.
I use fans in both of my coops. Haven't had a fan vs. chicken injury yet.

 

[speckledhen]

Had to remove Isaac from the pen yesterday. He was relentlessly chasing a couple of hens and his breathing was getting so ragged, he was wheezing from heat exhaustion. Put him in the hospital cage above Zane's cage with a fan blowing on him to calm him down. I thought he was going to fall over dead any second. And he's a white bird, not heavily feathered breed (Delaware), which you'd think would handle heat better than most.

 

[gritsar]

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Once I penned my older cockerel TJ up, I noticed the younger cockerel Dyson calmed way down. This means that thankfully I don't have to also pen him up. He's not chasing hens much at all. It may be too hot for even that.

 

[chicmom]

Hello Gritsar!

So sorry to hear you lost your broody, Doe.

This heat is really bad in Ohio too. My hens are panting with wings out sometimes, I've noticed. I'm so glad my husband is home today because he's keeping an eye on them and freshening their water often today. We gave them cucumbers that were chilled in the fridge yesterday, and they went crazy for them.....A nice cool snack.

Sounds like you're doing all that you can to keep your flock comfortable....

Hang in there!

Sharon

 

[MsGreenJeans]

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This makes a LOT of sense... I do this for our horse, and she spends full days in the mist when it's too hot for her. 20 degrees is significant heat reduction. I have a tree in my hen-yard...thanks for the suggestion!

To gritsar.... I'm so sorry for your loss.
To chicmom...Cukes have natural cooling properties, so great idea for supplying them to the chickens!