Overheated Hen Died Yesterday - Remember to keep them cool

[gale65]

I'm sorry.

about 20 yrs ago I kept chickens and had no one to get advice from other than the feed store. I didn't do anything to keep them cool, they had a barn to go in but it was just as hot in there as it was outside. I never gave them DE or wormed them or anything like that. I gave them layer mash from the feed store (after medicated starter when they were little) and they had a pen they ran around in which wasn't secure (it was made from chicken wire and open on top). They were locked in at night in the barn but otherwise ran all around the pen during the day. I only gave them fresh water when their 5 gallon waterer was empty, and just barely rinsed it in between. I filled the 25 lb feeder and when it was empty, filled it again. Threw straw on the cement floor for bedding and probably changed it once every few months at most. I put a heat lamp in when they were babies but not for more than a couple of weeks and didn't have light in there other than the heat lamp (which was a white bulb). I never had the first problem with them. I wonder if I was just lucky.

 

[Willie647]

We feed ours cold snacks in the afternoon most days. I buy the biggest watermellons I can find and chill them. The girls love it. Also cold corn on the cob when on sale. The girls tell me it helps a lot. And you know you can always believe them. I am sorry for your loss. That is so hard to take. I always try to pay more attention to the others after a loss and just love them more.
Willie

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
You were just lucky.

JJ

 

[southerndesert]

Sorry to hear about your loss

112 here right now in the shade, been keeping chickens here in AZ for many years and have yet to lose a healthy bird to heat stroke and last year we saw 117 degrees a few times. We worry some over them and add ice to their water and water to get their feet wet in the afternoons and they hang in the shade moving from tree to shrub to tree scratching and panting, but always seem to get through it. Guess perhaps AZ birds having been bred here for years handle it better?

several years ago it got up to over 120 in many places around Phoenix area and many of the big operations lost birds to the heat.

 

[chi-rn]

Eastern NC here... we're having drought weather & hotter than hot. Large wildfire in county next door. Every day I'm nervous for my girls until I get home from work. Have fans going, but they're blowing hot, smoke-filled air! Thank you for sharing your story with us. So sorry.

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
That's a bad situation. So sorry. Do you have too many to bring them indoors till the danger (hot bad air) passes (e.g. basement, spare room)?.
JJ

 

[gale65]

Quote:
You were just lucky.

JJ

Must have been. I guess everyone else I know who had chickens back then was lucky too. Wonder why.

 

[NYC feather fam]

So sorry to hear of everyone's sad situations, especially yours, Madhatter. The loss of your pregnancy has definitely compounded the trauma for you, but it is wonderful that you have 1) a supportive, loving husband 2) a great message board where you can come and talk about your experience with people who have gone through the same thing. Verbalizing all your feelings instead of shoving them away, even though they are painful, will help get you through and you are brave to be doing just that.

I, like many others, worried so much about the cold this past winter, yet have not felt as much concern over the heat. Now having read everyone's experiences and advice I know what steps I can take to keep our birds safe and hopefully healthy. Like people, some chickens are more vulnerable to heat than others are. I read a statement from the DOH recently that each year extreme heat kills more people in the united states than all other natural disasters combined. Of course people with co-morbidities like heart disease, obesity, COPD and other ailments are at even greater risk. When I read this I immediately put on the AC for our family yet did not think the chickens could be affected too. Thanks everyone, keep them cool and keep yourselves cool as well. And remember, drink lots of water and wear a hat in the sun.

 

[anderson8505]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story. After I read it I put some containers in the freezer to put in water tomorrow and will continue throughout our very HOT summer here in Florida. Local weatherman promises rain this weekend, but we've had a month of very high temps. I let my chickens run the yard during the day because their coop is too hot, now I've also placed extra pans of water throughout the yard. These are my first chickens too and although I know sooner or later something will happen, I also know it'll be really really hard on me when something does! I bought extra chicks after reading about mortality rates when I was researching before buying chickens. Luckily, ALL 11 chicks survived, but I was prepared to loose them then, not now after watching them grow for 13 weeks.

 

[KatieBugg]

I am so sorry for your loss, that is very sad. Your post comes at a good time I have been wondering about how they do in the bad heat, well I know that this can happen now, so I will be getting a fan and installing it into the coop as well as a few other things to fight the heat.