Silkie thread!

[tiki244]

Awe darn it. I just lost one of my white silkie hens to the heat!

I gave them fresh water at 8pm and just went out to close the door and one was dead. I know it was the heat. They are so hot. Bou I feel so guilty. I had one fan in there but now I took a second one out there. And I put a screen in their pop door too. I put 2 big ice bags with them and fed them some frozen berries. Boy I hope the rest are ok through the night.

Darn it I am mad at myself. I should have spritzed under their armpits today.

Well tomorrow I will be bathing them all. I wish I would have done it today. Any suggestions on bathing? Like what temperature should the water be. I dont want to shock any into death or anything.

 

[kfchickenlady]

aw, sorry about your little hen, dont feel bad, you did what you could for them, its going to be 106 tomorrow and over 100 for the next several days here, Im using the frozen soda bottles and plenty of shade and misting. I may even have to bring some into the house! I wont be needing the brooder light, thats for sure. I think cool water versus cold for bathing should be fine, if they get chilled their bodies will try to warm themselves and thats not what you want.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Quote:
I understand that mites can sometimes get down in their ear and cause imbalance or even wry neck symptoms. Perhaps using anti-mite eardrops for dogs would take care of any mites that might be down inside his ear.

Gorgeous boy...I'll take a brother or a son if they look like him!!

 

[tiki244]

Quote:
Thank You kfchickenlady

I will warm some tubs of water a bit (edit ) (in the sun) before I start bathing them. I just was out spraying their yards and the roof of the coop now. It is a bit cooler after spraying, but probably wont last too long in this heat. I need to get some pop bottles in the freezer. Off to do that now.

 

[laughingdog]

use luke warm or room temp water to bath at first, then just leave out big deep bowl for them to bath and soak in, as i did, and never lost any to heat, as theyd just play in the water bowl (well the silkies more just stood or layed in), and id just have to go out maybe up to four times a day to refill. mostly they just stand in and or dunk body or heads in, but mine only panted one week in this heat so far, before i had the big bowl out (im surprised the chicks can swim so well and love playing the most, as always told they drown so easy in even shallow, and wide water containers). now the flooding, has killed some chicks and maybe quail washed away, but hearing quail outside now and i have corternix, so assuming those are mine (i put feed out, but only catch glimpses and hear at dusk and dawn unless the inside ones start making a raukus).

time to buy some kiddie pools! for those of you with larger flocks anyway, and no open shady areas..

ooops didnt get my post out quick enough and someone else had the same advice.. just watch out you dont make it to hot and moist then, or mold and other stuff will start to take over easier. i have a big dog bowl of water in by my bunnies, but they arnt soaking in it here, like they were when first got from breeder, so hopefully that means im keeping them cool enough.. the bathing they hated at very first, but now even not doing it in a while, the male still jumps into my arms/lap and wants the attention he got used to as good thing. the female has taken to scratching slightly to try to get down when picked up out of comfort zone.

 

[tiki244]

Wow I never thought of them going inot water on their own!



Well anyone out there in silkie land-> I washed a few so far but not their heads or their faces. Does anyone have any good ways of washing the heads and faces.


I am thinking maybe washclothes? and very carefully?

THANKS

 

[laughingdog]

yeah, i heard chickens were naturally afraid of large bodies of water, as a child (not sure were i got that nonsense from now), but found my chicks playing in water bowl, so thought to put bigger ones out and watch to see if theyd be ok. just turned out the two chicks taught the rest the water could be fun and probably soothing as well, while at first the mother hens and poults would just stand in them, they then began bathing in them, like other birds do, i never thought theyd enjoy it so much, but guess they are birds after all, and why they make bird bathes.. so i live and learn, or at least try to as i go along, even at a slow pace and to the beat of my own drummer.

 

[mljohnson05]

PLEASE HELP WITH IDEAS :

It is getting (with heat index) up to 105 degrees...this is my first HOT HOT summer with 3 Silkies i think about 5 months old (not sure)

Their coop and Run is totally covered with a tarp so 90% of it is ALWAYS in the shade....I have 3 water containers in different areas...Ice bottles (which they REFUSE to lay on ) and a little pan with water to wade in (which they REFUSE to use too).
I spray water under their wings Twice a day...and have a medium fan that runs in the corner to help blow more air...but they are still Panting all the time.....I am very worried!!!

Are they going to over heat??? what else can I do???and what should I look for??


Thank You,
Laura

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Just spray 'em down. Mine won't sit in water pans either, so if it gets extra hot out i'll spray them down with cool water. They don't mind it. They will also dig up the ground in the shade and lay on the cool dirt.

I've also heard of people using frozen water bottles for the birds to stand on. Just replace their water a couple times a day with fresh cold water.

 

[robin416]

Quote:
Instead of spraying the birds, stand them in the water a few minutes. It will help cool them down and help them realize that it helps.

Spray the tarp, the ground with the hose. I actually make mud puddles for them to cool off in.