Suspected heat exhaustion, anything more I can do? Anything else it could be?

[nao57]

Thank you for the advice! About 3/4 of the entire yard is shaded, even in the height of the day. Temps here for the next several days are not supposed to get above low/mid 70s, so we're all happy for the reprieve. I'm working from home right now so I've set up my "office" on the patio so I can keep an extra close eye on her and make sure she's doing okay. I'll give her electrolytes through the weekend as an added measure. Here are some shots of the yard to give an idea of their environment. Thanks again!
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No problem! Glad we could help.

 

[casportpony]

So happy she it better, thanks for the update!

 

[RootandRoost]

This is an older thread, but I have a question or two.
Has anyone found that Easter Eggers struggle with heat? ( I noticed that the chick in question in this thread is an EE)
I'm in Oklahoma and we get hot here in the summer. We're at a heat index of 102 right now.
I've had several varieties of chickens, but it seems like the Easter Eggers show stress and pant more than others when it's hot.

One of my 2 and half week old chicks was found dead in her pen yesterday. She was an EE and had no signs of illness or trauma. She was with Momma Hen (their adopted Momma) and 4 other chicks. All the other chicks seem fine and well, except the other Easter Egger was lethargic yesterday afternoon--didn't eat much. She came down from the coop this morning when it was cooler and ate and drank a lot. Now, she's lethargic again. Maybe because the temps are higher now? The other chicks are fine.
I shoot a fan into the window of their upstairs coop at night, but have never really used the fans during the day in the pen because it's well shaded. But, decided to turn the fan on them this afternoon. She and Momma Hen are sitting in front of it while the other chicks play.

My adult EE also are the most bothered by heat.
Fans are on all of the coops and brooders at night. The hens have a large yard with shade to roam and a covered pen attached to the coop. I have a large garden and freeze garden veggies/fruit for treats.

Anyway...anyone else notice this about EE?

 

[Ascholten]

Each breed, or half breed in this case, is going to handle the heat differently. Yes she may be more affected than the other ones. Keep plenty of fresh water for them, the shade is good and they'll get through it. Worse case, maybe a small pool or something, though I don't know if chickens would water bathe or not.

Aaron

 

[coach723]

@RootandRoost
I've had birds of various breeds that have been more sensitive to heat issues than others. Some breeds are more prone to issues due to being larger, heavier birds, or birds with very small combs and wattles sometimes. But it's more an individual thing. I have one EE that tends to have more issues with heat than any of my other EE's. Older birds can have issues with the heat, and young chicks are still not good at regulating body temperature. Fat birds don't deal with heat well. Without a necropsy it's very hard to say what may have happened to your chick.
My weather is in heat stroke range this week, so am adding cooling stations (shallow dishes of water they can stand in) freshening drinking water several times a day so it's cool. Some waterers I put frozen water bottles in to keep cool longer. I have a sprinkler going in one area to help cool it a bit, misters will help cool also. You can also just go out with a hose and wet area's down well, it will cool it temporarily. Make sure they have shady spots, you can use tarps or pallets, or old furniture, etc, any thing that will throw shade. Long term, plant things to provide shade. I've got a couple of big trees and have planted grapes one side and rosemary plants that they can get under. I have an old plastic patio table in my run which provides shade or shelter from rain, it has a roost of a 2x4 run through concrete blocks under it where they can hang out. I run fans in the coop to exchange and move air so it's not an oven (nest boxes are in there). A fan where they can lay in front of it can help (make sure it's safe).
If you have a bird that is really having trouble, I crate them and bring them into the A/C long enough to cool them off, take them back out later in the day when the worst of the heat has past (which isn't saying much here right now). They can go from stress to heatstroke pretty quickly. If it's really bad it's a good idea to keep a bucket of water ready, I've had to rush one and dunk them before in a heatstroke situation. They go fast in that situation, but if you are lucky and get to them quick enough and get them cooled off, they can sometimes survive. I saved one last year that way. Was touch and go for 24 hours, but she pulled through and is still with us. I quickly doused her, when she was slightly responsive I brought her in the house and held her in the sink with cool water (not cold water) for a good while. She slowly became more responsive and once she was able to hold her self up I crated her in my bathroom overnight. Got lots of fluids in her, by syringe at first. By the next morning she was looking pretty normal. I kept a very close eye on her for a couple of weeks after putting her back out. The heat is no joke, so anything you can do preventative is a lot easier than having them stroking.

 

[RootandRoost]

@coach723

Thanks for you response! Lots of good info.
I've done many of the things you've suggested and it certainly helps.
We've got tarps up, fans going, trees in the chicken yard, lot of waterers sitting in shady areas. I'm watering down their pen. I've planted vining plants that climb and shade their pen. I've used misters in the past, but our hard well water seems to ruin those fairly quickly.
The things those of us in hotter regions have to do for our chickens!

The EE chick that was struggling, seems to be better with the fan.

This is our hottest day of the year and then, thankfully, we're cooling down for a few days. High of 84 tomorrow and I can't wait! 84 seems hot to some, but to us--so nice for a summer day.
If we have another heat wave this summer, I'm going to install some misters again. My silly chickens don't like to be wet, but I'm going to install them anyway. They won't wade in pools.

I'm glad you were able to save your heat-stressed hen! Thanks again for your response.

 

[Swbertrand1]

@RootandRoost
I run fans in the coop to exchange and move air so it's not an oven (nest boxes are in there). A fan where they can lay in front of it can help (make sure it's safe).
If you have a bird that is really having trouble, I crate them and bring them into the A/C long enough to cool them off, take them back out later in the day when the worst of the heat has past (which isn't saying much here right now). They can go from stress to heatstroke pretty quickly. If it's really bad it's a good idea to keep a bucket of water ready, I've had to rush one and dunk them before in a heatstroke situation. They go fast in that situation, but if you are lucky and get to them quick enough and get them cooled off, they can sometimes survive.

The heat is no joke, so anything you can do preventative is a lot easier than having them stroking.

+100 on this!!! We do many of the same things, even bringing hot birds into the A/C for an hour or two if necessary.
We're only in the 90s here in NC today, but I've been adding ice-cubes to the water stations, setting up box fans in the runs. The coop has a temp-controlled exhaust fan and two oscillating fans on timers, and I still feel like I need more.
YES, the heat is NO JOKE!

 

[Ascholten]

Its about 98 degrees here and humid. My birds are hiding under the trees and bushes. I have a bucket of cool water out and they like taking frequent drinks from it too.

Aaron