Overheating Chicken? Help!

[H&Hchickens]

Hazel, my Golden Laced Wyandotte has been "OK" with the heat this summer. I'm surprised she didn't overheat and die during the awful heat wave about a month ago. She pants almost every second of the day. She is laying fine, she seems healthy, and she and her sister got a new and improved bigger coop with lots of ventilation. We put frozen water bottles in their coop to keep them cool and give them shade and hose them off a couple times a day. Yet, Hazel still seems very hot! I've made them electrolytes and am starting to give them some. From what I read, they should only have it for about 5 hours a day or they could have too much and hurt themselves. Does anyone have any more suggestions on how to keep her from panting so much? It seems like she's hot so often but I go in their coop and it feels pretty cool in there. I need help! Hazel is a sweet girl and I don't want anything happening to her! If you have any more suggestions or other reasons she could be panting please let me know! Anything would be appreciated!

 

[Nellydog]

I'm new to chickens so I think that most animals work the same I know dogs don't have sweat glad so the reason the pant is there way of sweating so even if you go outside on a hot day and just sit you'll probably sweat so that is what your chickens doing I guess just think of ways that you cool down in the summer and think of a chicken safe option

 

[FarmerGirl101]

You are doing great! Not much you can do besides chilling their water, misting the coop, and giving them slushies (crushed ice).

 

[Leigti]

Make sure they have lots of shade and plenty of water. I put up a Mister, just a little attachment that goes on the end of the garden hose and makes a fine mist. They love it. Also I hosed down the dirt in the run quite a bit. This helps keep them pool. You can also give them frozen watermelon and grapes. They like that.

 

[Theladiesandagentleman]

Frozen grapes and watermelon. Some fans to move the air around. Cool damp ground they can dust bathe in. Lots of shade.

 

[Shezadandy]

If a hen is having a really hard time with heat waves- and we've been suffering big time this year - she gets a night inside in the cool basement where she can catch her breath and get a real night of rest, slow her heart rate, recover, then back out the next morning. This has been the saving grace of the 10-15 that have a consistently hard time in the hot weather.

This year we've been running about 15-20 degrees above normal for weeks at a time.

Consider that when they're panting, their hearts are pumping as much blood as they can to the extremities- especially the wings - to try and cool the blood. That would be kinda like being put on a treadmill to make yourself sweat just to stay cool 24hrs a day.

I watch the nest boxes carefully- especially after 2pm - even with the fans pointed at the nest boxes - any hen that looks like she's having a terrible time is gently carried to an inside crate so she can cool down and lay her egg.

We also bought a fan with a mister that sits on top of a 5 gallon bucket for the run. If you're just looking to mist, you can hook it up to the hose. Otherwise it runs on an 18 volt battery like a cordless drill will, and it will pump the water out of the bucket and the fan will disperse the mist - I put those in the afternoon shady spots right after watermelon time. Mine are watermelon junkies now.

Every day on hot days I give mine a whole watermelon (stored around 55 degrees) sliced into chunks (80 birds demolish the watermelon!) during the 4-5pm range which is the peak of the heat - and all their waters get dumped and refilled with cool fresh water too.

 

[H&Hchickens]

Frozen grapes and watermelon. Some fans to move the air around. Cool damp ground they can dust bathe in. Lots of shade.

Thank you! I will definitely get some watermelon for them! I also have cold/frozen cherries as well. My mom just bought a fan for the coop yesterday. i hose down their coop at least a couple times a day maybe more! Thank you so much!

 

[H&Hchickens]

If a hen is having a really hard time with heat waves- and we've been suffering big time this year - she gets a night inside in the cool basement where she can catch her breath and get a real night of rest, slow her heart rate, recover, then back out the next morning. This has been the saving grace of the 10-15 that have a consistently hard time in the hot weather.

This year we've been running about 15-20 degrees above normal for weeks at a time.

Consider that when they're panting, their hearts are pumping as much blood as they can to the extremities- especially the wings - to try and cool the blood. That would be kinda like being put on a treadmill to make yourself sweat just to stay cool 24hrs a day.

I watch the nest boxes carefully- especially after 2pm - even with the fans pointed at the nest boxes - any hen that looks like she's having a terrible time is gently carried to an inside crate so she can cool down and lay her egg.

We also bought a fan with a mister that sits on top of a 5 gallon bucket for the run. If you're just looking to mist, you can hook it up to the hose. Otherwise it runs on an 18 volt battery like a cordless drill will, and it will pump the water out of the bucket and the fan will disperse the mist - I put those in the afternoon shady spots right after watermelon time. Mine are watermelon junkies now.

Every day on hot days I give mine a whole watermelon (stored around 55 degrees) sliced into chunks (80 birds demolish the watermelon!) during the 4-5pm range which is the peak of the heat - and all their waters get dumped and refilled with cool fresh water too.

Wow thank you so much! I just bought a fan yesterday and give them cold food and hose down their coop at least a couple times a day. Thanks!!

 

[H&Hchickens]

Make sure they have lots of shade and plenty of water. I put up a Mister, just a little attachment that goes on the end of the garden hose and makes a fine mist. They love it. Also I hosed down the dirt in the run quite a bit. This helps keep them pool. You can also give them frozen watermelon and grapes. They like that.

Is the mister expensive? My girls have fresh cool water and get their coop cooled down very often. I also give them cold/frozen foods too! Thank you so much!!

 

[H&Hchickens]

You are doing great! Not much you can do besides chilling their water, misting the coop, and giving them slushies (crushed ice).

Thanks so much! I've never thought of ice slushies!