Meat Birds dying, HELP I think it's the heat

[d.k]

*Not buckets-- empty plastic jugs, like milk jugs??? Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. it's pretty bad here some days-- I made Miss Chook's place so that she doesn't have to go more than about 8 feet to get water in any direction with plastic jugs. Helps alot, I rarely catch her panting anymore.

 

[MissPrissy]

You really have done well to have lost only 6. But for me even that number is too many.

The heat stress deaths you are experiencing is why I won't do a meat bird in another season but fall. I got my birds last year on Oct. 2. It was perfect weather for them. I put them out in the barn with a lamp at 4 weeks and in a week I turned it off. By the time fairly chilly weather came they were feathered out. I have no doubt it is was the much cooler nights and days that took the stress off of them.

Can you find a way to get them some shade? Can you get a fan on them? Frozen milk jugs of water sat out in their tractor will help but you'll have rotate them out 2 - 3 times a day.

 

[d.k]

* Miss Prissy?? Do you think a light partial dose of electrolytes might help, too?? I was thinking of making that suggestion, since they are meat birds-- but, just wasn't too sure. . . .

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

At that size you are going to have losses in heat. Fans will help, and shade is going to be vital so rig up a tarp or something that is away from the tractor so it is not blocking ventilation but up to provide shade. Also since digestion creates heat take their feed away for the day and let them eat at night.

If your heat is to continue in general I would consider just taking them in for processing. They are big now and it's only going to get worse.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I added another feeder so they don't bunch up next to each other too much, I have a fan ready to turn on when it gets warmer and I'll cover the rest of their tractor so they are all out of any sun.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed,

and yes even one loss is too many. It's usually a lot cooler her for longer. We just skipped Spring this year

 

[blue90292]

don't cover the tractor, shade the tractor. does that make sense? if you cover the tractor with tarp for shade, the heat from the chickens won't have anywhere to go, but if you put a shade block on them so the heat can rise out, but they don't get direct sun inside the tractor....

hope i'm making sense.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Yeah, you are making sense. I just don't have anything to shade it. I tried to get DH to put the easy up over them, but he looked at me like I was stupid. It's a cooler day with a nice breeze. I hope it's better for them. I'm working on figuring out the other stuff. We don't drink milk, so we don't have the jugs to cut off the tops. I'll find something though

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Lonecowboy,

How are your meat birds doing?

 

[FutureChickenMan]

they should be in the freezer by now.

 

[LoneCowboy]

They were yummy!

Going to do another batch come September.