Silkies and Heat

[Mylied]

Two days ago I moved my six silkie and showgirls outside. It's been crazy hot, but the last few days had been high 80's instead of 90's, so I thought they'd be ok. They are around 2 months or so. Fully feathered. They had a shelter from the sun and cool water. I found one dead the next morning. I talked to the breeder for advice and then shaded the whole pen. I put ice in the waterers too. I even added a second waterer. Today another was dead. I brought them back inside. I plan on putting a solar attic ventilator in their new coop (they were in a temporary one) and covering the whole run. Anything else I can do to keep them from overheating?

 

[realsis]

Hi yes! I have silkies and standards and where i live it gets 107 (today) to 110 degrees. My run has a covered roof. I wrap my entire run in THICK shade cloth. 98% U.V.protection. ( from Amazon). Then i take a large Box fan (Amazon) and run it on 2 and plug a extended cord into the run. The fan is bunjie corded to the runs back side. Then i have a personal mister with 2 jets (home depot, artic breeze) and i run the mister about 3 feet from the fan, the mister sits about 2 feet high and the fan blows the soft mist in their run and acts as a cooler. The mister and fan runs from about 9 am until i turn the mister off at abot 730 pm. I have a second box fan that i hook to the window of their hen house. I leave the fan in the run on until the birds go into their house to roost then their hen house window fan in turned on and blowing into the house until we go to sleep. The run is attached to the house so insted of closeing the chicken door at night, i put a screen in front of their access door while they sleep. I lock my run door and go to bed. I put two frozen bottles into their 5 gallon waterer to keep their water cool daily. I also give electrolytes on exceptionally hot days. This has been working out well Thank God!!! Anything up to about 105 and none of them are panting over that and each hour i check on them and encourage drinking water and if they are panting i hold them in the mister until wet them let them down and with the fan blowing that usually does the trick. Here is a picture of my wrapped run and mister i really hope this helps!! Im so sorry about your girls! The blue hose part is the misters.

 

[crash0330]

Two days ago I moved my six silkie and showgirls outside. It's been crazy hot, but the last few days had been high 80's instead of 90's, so I thought they'd be ok. They are around 2 months or so. Fully feathered. They had a shelter from the sun and cool water. I found one dead the next morning. I talked to the breeder for advice and then shaded the whole pen. I put ice in the waterers too. I even added a second waterer. Today another was dead. I brought them back inside. I plan on putting a solar attic ventilator in their new coop (they were in a temporary one) and covering the whole run. Anything else I can do to keep them from overheating?

Try dissolving some electrolytes into their water, that helps them with them becoming dehydrated, also chickens stand on water to cool off so try providing them with a deep enough water case so that they can stand in it.
Some Gatorade also helps. But maybe the shock of them going from a cooler climate to immediately super hot may have shocked their system, you gotta get them use too the heat. It has to be a gradual process. It's been 105 almost everyday here and so far I haven't lost any, but they have gotten used to this kind of weather though

 

[Mylied]

Thanks for the tips. I will take it all into consideration when I go to move them back outside again.