Not so crazy after all!

[gritsar]

I just went out to do a welfare check on my chickens, after my desktop thermometer reminded me that it's 104*. Every one is in good shape, standing around in man-made mud puddles. Then I found the last of my SFs in the coop, drinking water non-stop and not looking so good. I came back in the house, grabbed the first flat bottomed container I could find - a hospital pan - put a few ice cubes in it and cold water. When I took it out to the coop I had a hard time catching the SF; they are not the friendliest of my birds. I didn't want to stress her further so I took my time. When I got ahold of her she had a look on her face that said "what's this crazy woman fixin' to do to me?" (yes, my birds talk with a southern accent).

I sat her down in the pan and she immediately relaxed and lost that stressed out look on her face. It's been 30 minutes. She hasn't left the pan yet.

 

[ShelterGirl]

Welfare checks can save their lives

Congrats on coming to the rescue of a heat-exhausted chicken!

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I can just hear her in her southern drawl saying "What fresh hell is this?"

She is so lucky to have you for her keeper!

But what is an SF? Speckled...Spangled...? I'm sure it will come to me...

 

[speckledhen]

Salmon Faverolle, I believe.


If a bird seems overheated, I definitely put the water hose to their feet. If your feet are cool, so are you, right?

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Quote:

Good Job saving your chicken from the heat!

 

[True Grit]

Hmm , that sounds like a good idea. Think I'll go throw a few icecubes in their frying pan wading pool. It's not 104 but they're northern chicks, like me; we can't take the heat.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Exactly.
The brahmas have a nice mud puddle going, but don't want to share with the younger birds so I managed to get into one of the old pumphouses and turned the well on to give the younger birds their own puddle.

Tonight after they've all gone to roost I'm going to move one of the plastic wading pools close to their coop for tomorrow. I'd do it now, but they are easily spooked and they'd most definitely be spooked if I start moving large pieces of blue plastic into their zone.

 

[Judy]

I've done that several times, with several of mine. They usually relax a little, but I've never had one stay in the pan when I let go of her. Yours really must have been hot! Mine resist gentle showers, ice water -- several things -- so I find a way to get some water on them whether they like it or not, if it's really bad out. Haven't lost one to heat yet, but I do worry about them on the 100 degree days. At 100+, shade and breeze just don't seem enough. I think mine are beginning to learn to walk or stand in a shallow pan of water.

 

[Miyashi]

Quote:
I stick my feet out of the blankets at night if I'm too warm and it cools the rest of me down. I guess there is some truth to that!

 

[bzbrown]

Yup welfare checks on the hour, if not sooner. I've also got 3 labradors out in this heat. I freeze a stainless steel dog food bowl of water and put it in the chicken water tin twice a day. Sometimes they stand on it, sometimes they peck at it. The little ones will frolic in the water as if dancing around it. Thinking of talking the husband into a better cooling system or inside coop for the bad days