My chickens are dying

[wbepetersen]

I have lost three chickens in the past 48 hours. It has been extremely hot but the coop has afternoon shade and they have access to a run which also has afternoon shade. They have been hanging out in the coop a lot more than normal so I don’t know if maybe there is a predator near that has them scared. There is no apparent injury and they have all been very healthy to this point. I have been feeding them watermelon and regular chicken feed. They are laying hens about 10 months old. Can you give me some ideas of what to investigate or how to help.

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.
You didnt mention if you're providing your birds with fresh clean water to drink. Watermelon is okay on occasion, but it will cause watery diarrhea. Perhaps the loss of fluids has them dehydrated.
Adding a fan in the coop and/or pen will help circulate air. Sometimes birds will sit or lay a few feet in front of a fan in the hot summer in order to keep cool. If you put a fan inside the coop, make sure it blows air out a vent. Indirect airflow will come in through the other vents.
Hopefully your set up is predator proof. I've had hawks scare birds into the coop even though everything was predator proof, except for snakes.

 

[LaFleche]

Depending on where you live afternoon shade is not enough during summer with temperatures easily reaching far above 100°F.

Please upload a picture of your coop and run setup and let us know the number of chickens that live there.