Texas

[mamawolf544]

I know 106 here.......

 

[bnjrob]

It has been so hot today 102 last I looked, we lost one 6wk BLRW chick, hope everyone else makes it.

Do you really think it was the heat? Had it just not acclimated yet?

 

[Zootopia]

Everyone was hot yesterday, the poults had their wings hanging down. I took a chance and wet everyones belly and it seem to help, they were ready to eat about 1/2 hr later. They have been outside since they were 3 wks, too hot for a brooder light, learned that lesson already this year.

 

[bnjrob]

Everyone was hot yesterday, the poults had their wings hanging down. I took a chance and wet everyones belly and it seem to help, they were ready to eat about 1/2 hr later. They have been outside since they were 3 wks, too hot for a brooder light, learned that lesson already this year.

They just must've had a real problem. It's been 95+ since mid April over here southeast of the DFW metroplex. We're always warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter than what the Dallas weather men predict for each day.

I've got a group of 6 week old chicks that have been living outside for about a month but they have not seemed stressed enough to have droopy wings. They pant, as do the trio that is a little older. And they will fluff their feathers to cool off some when the wind blows. They're sucking down water like crazy and I did start adding vitamin/electrolytes periodically. They also have shade - they are in chicken tractors and can go under the coop as well as the attached run has shade cloth. I tried putting small wading "pools" in with them - only one of them was brave enough to get in it.

I now have bottles of water in the freezer so I can start putting frozen bottles in water buckets (have buckets with nipples for drinking) and can sit frozen bottles just out in the chicken tractor to help cool the ambient air a bit. We insulated our coops with 1/2 inch foam and then there is the air pocket between the foam and the interior wallboards - the temp is staying about 10 degrees cooler inside the coop than it is outside in the shade.

Yesterday the 25 mph winds were horrible and they were hot - but I have a feeling that it would have felt even worse if there had not been any wind.

 

[MSchickenmama]

The hatchery is near I-30 and Eastchase Parkway, he's was on Craig's list a lot in the spring.
He said he feeds them bakery bread leftovers and whatever they find themselves(for the ones free ranging). I only went to him because he had Orpingtons.

I don't give the girls much scratch or corn this time of the year. I do give them alfafa cubes to fight over-it's something we buy we can give to all the animals we have(pigs, cows, rabbits and the chickens). I never though to give them rabbit pellets or sweet feed. We buy grouts and oats and they get those.

I talked to the hatchery owner, GW. He is going to take the 3 roos, the Ameracunna really got him. That roo is soooo handsome, my sixteen year old is sad because we would have wonderful chicks if we breed him with our RIR or EE, he is probly right. But no roos in the city. GW has hatched out the eggs from when I gave him my Wynadotte Roo and loaned him my Female Wynadotte, He has 4 pullets out of 6. So I get one of my Boobies(Columbine Wynadotte) girls, then I get to pick two other of his breeds. He does breed the the true rumpless Ariacuna, hopefully he will have a couple of pullets.

 

[misskeeter]

new here.

Raising my first chickens in Wichita Falls (2 hrs north of DFW)

I'm a city limits chicken owner, so I've just got my two girls. They are about 8 weeks old now. Eleanor and Ginger are very spoiled chickens. They are sleeping in the house tonight because of the expected thunder storms. They might be spending some time indoors during the heat of the day once we hit those 110 degree days.. I worry about them...

 

[chickletteSarge]

Welcome!
I got a good trick from here that helps tame the heat for the chicks.
Take a liter bottle (dr pepper) and fill with H2o and freeze. Place bottle in coop/pen or where ever you house your pullets.
The frozen bottle will cool the area and they will love you for it! A shady spot under a tree or bush also helps....

 

[bnjrob]

new here.

Raising my first chickens in Wichita Falls (2 hrs north of DFW)

I'm a city limits chicken owner, so I've just got my two girls. They are about 8 weeks old now. Eleanor and Ginger are very spoiled chickens. They are sleeping in the house tonight because of the expected thunder storms. They might be spending some time indoors during the heat of the day once we hit those 110 degree days.. I worry about them...

Be careful bringing them in and out of the air conditioned house - even just because of storms. While it is natural to want to keep your girls comfortable, it makes it more difficult for them to acclimate to the hot temps we have here. Unless they are always going to be staying inside with you, bringing them in and out of an AC cooled house can actually decrease their tolerance of heat - making them more susceptible to heat exhaustion and death at a lower temperature than what we normally see here in TX.

You would do better to ensure they have lots of shade - particularly if they are confined and cannot move out of the sun as the sun travels and shadows change location. They also need lots of water - cooling water with ice bottlescan give them water they actually want to drink. Giving them ice bottles in their immediate area of the coop/run/outdoors when temps are really high with high humidity like chicklettSarge suggested. You can also try wading pools made out of shallow plastic containers. Avoid using misting equipment when the humidity is high though - it can make it more difficult for them to breathe. Putting a fan outside to stir air will also help keep them comfortable.

 

[chickletteSarge]

Never thought of a fan out there..... I has been purdy windy tho thank goodness! Out of 24 chicks we've only lost 2 and that was due to curiocity. It killed thwe chicken too.....

 

[bnjrob]

Never thought of a fan out there..... I has been purdy windy tho thank goodness! Out of 24 chicks we've only lost 2 and that was due to curiocity. It killed thwe chicken too.....

No kidding - the wind has been crazy here too. It seems that we either have 20 mph winds or none at all. Even on some of these hottest days, the chickens are enjoying the hot southern breeze. They often hold their wings out to catch some breeze to cool off with. Although two pullets have discovered that the coop is staying cooler than the outside air, so they like sitting in the doorway of the coop while just sticking their heads out to look around...chickens are dumb but they aren't always stupid.

Hot air circulating is better than no air circulating. We even have a fan that we take outside to blow air on us when we are working - especially when we are working on our house, even if there is wind, the house blocks a lot of it depending on which side we are working on on.