Losing another hen to this awful heat

[froggiesheins]

My heart goes out to all of you that that are suffering dying birdies from all the heat/humidity your way. Please accept my condolences.

I WILL pray to the rain & wind gods to get some cooler wet weather your way!

 

[gritsar]

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Yes, last night our humidity @ 2 AM was 96%. It's like breathing water. I've lived in both Florida and Arkansas, as you know. I'll take a Florida summer over an Arkansas one any day. At least in Florida you stand a good chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.

First thing the brahma girls did when I let them out this morning was walk over to their pans of water laying all about and stand in em. Tell me again why I clean these pans every evening?

 

[gritsar]

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Thanks Froggie

 

[7L Farm]

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Yes, last night our humidity @ 2 AM was 96%. It's like breathing water. I've lived in both Florida and Arkansas, as you know. I'll take a Florida summer over an Arkansas one any day. At least in Florida you stand a good chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.

First thing the brahma girls did when I let them out this morning was walk over to their pans of water laying all about and stand in em. Tell me again why I clean these pans every evening?

I've only lived in Texas I can't imagine it being any hotter than here. I'm not sure what the humidity is but its freaking hot. My only saving grace is all the trees around my barniminom & one of my coops is under a big tree. I looked at the temp in the coop yesterday it was 95. My birds spend most of their day under my big arse deck I provide them ice water under the deck & cold veggies from my garden that's about burned up.I have two other coops & there three sided & 300 sq ft.each. Here's one where my Bob Whites live & the deck I added really helps shade the birds. Everyone please check on your birds it only

takes a few minutes more to add ice to their water.

 

[bburn]

Grew up in Arizona. Moved to Arkansas in 1969.....it felt like it was the hottest summer of my life then. Humidity was what was killing us. I went from being a very active 16 year old that summer to just about sitting on the front porch the entire summer if I was not at the pool. Also, the least amount of clothes that I could get away with. We rented a house with out AC in Fayetteville that summer so my father could take some classes at U of A.....then in August we moved to Russellville. By the end of the summer we could finally breathe.

I don't think that summer touched this one so far.

We are doing every thing we can up here Gritty. Someplace I read....last year on here....that you can put a frozen gallon of water in the coop and it will drop the temp a couple of degrees. Today we are doing that because the chickens have gone into the big coop. There is a breeze thank goodness so we put it in front of the door where the cross breeze goes through. Hopefully it will give them a tiny bit of relief.

I don't have a fan out there but would put one in if there was not the cross breeze through the coop. Oh, and we spray the roof off several times a day.

Chickens standing in water! My SIL just came in and in one of the waterers one of the hens had laid an egg!!!

WE NEED A LITTLE RELIEF!!

 

[Gresh]

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Ouch. So sorry for your losses: that has to be difficult

What breeds are these hens? I know personally that I am trying to purchase chickens that can stand the heat as well as cold. But, then again, even the most heat hardy birds can be affected. Hope you don't lose anymore hens and you don't have to cull all your roos.

 

[gritsar]

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I don't doubt that. I've never seen anything like this summer. I just went out and turned up the water pressure on their mister, gave my roo some more ice water (he's penned seperately for now). For some reason the older hens like to lay against one corner of an old tin pumphouse. Before I let them out this morning I laid soda bottles filled with water and frozen all along the edge they like to lay against.

What I don't understand is why the brahmas just don't quit laying for awhile??? My egg count has gone down in younger coop, but not the brahma girls. I feel so bad for them when I see them sitting in the nestboxes, panting away.

 

[gritsar]

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I've lost two salmon faverolles so far. I had read that they did "okay" (not great) in the heat and I'm sure they would have done fine if we had a "normal" summer.

The older hen I lost was a LF buff brahma. I feel the only reason the heat got to her was because she was also suffering from egg peritonitis. Up to this point my brahma girls have been able to tolerate anything mother nature has thrown their way.

 

[Inkheart]

I am so sorry for the loss this scares me - i have not lost anything so far but they are NOT happy at all right now! . It is 78 and 96% humidity at 6 am here! GRrrr. Not only are the chickens not happy -there is a grumpy guy there too! I hate this weather!

 

[americanamama]

It's gotten into the 100's with the heat index here. When I had ducks there was a kiddie pool in the pen too. I use water pans instead of waters so the girls can get in the water. My girls run free all over the farm and there are huge shade trees everywhere so were lucky. I change water a couple times a day for the animals. Big chunks off ice in the water helps. I would have a mister running off of the well water but the pump is getting ready to be replaced due to really leaking badly at the handle. I sure will be glad when this heat is calmed down.
If you need shade the Mesh Tarps that give shade and let in air work great. Youll have to order them on line, I have never seen them in a store yet.
Good luck all!