Sudden Death

[MrsMacChicken]

It was a Crested Cream Legbar pullet at POL. Not one of my flock but one of my friend’s birds. All other chickens are OK. Was a stormy night so may have been stress or heart attack.

 

[MomJones]

Birds can die suddenly from heat stroke.
My birds get a combination of free range, 20% crumble, sunflower seeds and hard boiled eggs. They also get sunflower fodder and comfrey.
They love the sunflower seeds and will favor them over the crumble.

The heat stress thing is something I have to watch closely. Mine are in a large shaded run (can't free range because of the hawks) and we have a fan running 24/7 out there but I worry still. I put ice in their water, which is changed twice a day but the temps here in South Carolina have been climbing to 100 degrees. Not good. I like your sunflower seed idea. That's supposed to be super beneficial for them.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have found most of my losses thru 26 years (I have had very few) have been mainly at the POL & when returning to lay after molt. If you don't necropsy, you will never know, but my losses have been 1 every few years, so I have never bothered.

 

[Ra_]

The heat stress thing is something I have to watch closely.

If you can dig a depression in the ground and cover it with a piece of vinyl or old shower curtain or something, if they wade in there, the water sucks the body heat out of their legs. I do that and I also have a large round device meant for draining motor oil that I set into a depression in the ground. I also have a fine mist sprinkler mounted over a small palm that they like to sit under.

 

[MomJones]

Great ideas and you’re obviously a ninja. But here in the humid South I worry about moisture related fungal infections. Plus standing water attracts even more flies and mosquitoes, right?

 

[ValerieJ]

Great ideas and you’re obviously a ninja. But here in the humid South I worry about moisture related fungal infections. Plus standing water attracts even more flies and mosquitoes, right?

I am trying standing water for my hens to get into and they don't get in. They just drink from it. The water is changed every day, so it doesn't get stagnant. However, where I see them cool down is when I water the trees and just let the water run for a while, then they will walk through that. Yes, they get muddy feet, but they get cooler too.

 

[MomJones]

I am trying standing water for my hens to get into and they don't get in. They just drink from it. The water is changed every day, so it doesn't get stagnant. However, where I see them cool down is when I water the trees and just let the water run for a while, then they will walk through that. Yes, they get muddy feet, but they get cooler too.

I see you're in Washington state? Lovely areas up there.

 

[ValerieJ]

I see you're in Washington state? Lovely areas up there.

Washington is beautiful, and there's a reason for that. It rains here. LOL They call it the green state and I call it the rainy state. South Carolina is beautiful too!

 

[Ra_]

...standing water attracts even more flies and mosquitoes, right?

Flies? I never see flies near the water.
Mosquitoes? Birds, with their microscopic vision would eagerly gobble any pupae.
They also take days to develop and I replace the water every day.

 

[Ra_]

...I am trying standing water for my hens to get into and they don't get in. They just drink from it.

What I do, to teach the young birds, is carve the kernels off an ear of corn. I then call them over and toss a handful of corn into the center of my wading area. They try "ducking for apples" but don't like putting their heads in the water. In the meantime, they are realizing how great that cool water feels on their hot legs.

But 12 pound Big Mama doesn't care about getting her head wet. She is GETTING that corn.