This crazy heat is finally taking a toll... :-(

[mocluckin]

After nearly a week of plus 100 degree weather, our 3 week old FR chicks are starting to drop. Had 2 dead this morning when I went out to feed and then just before lunch time, went to add fresh water and 2 more were dead. They are in an outside pen 10'x20' with tarps over most of the pen (plus shade from a large oak tree) and I'm giving fresh water 3x a day with chick electrolytes, and I have a fan blowing on them. There isn't any sign of trauma, they are just stretched out on the ground, dead.

Any ideas on what I can do to help them? Could it be something other than the heat? Anything I should be looking for?

:-(

 

[V-NH]

Your chickens will not like this, but it might help in the extreme situation that you describe. If it is really hot, you can spray them with the hose. I don't mean put your hose on jet and shoot them with it, I used "mist" and "gentle shower" on my Cornish X today. They were laying around in 90 degee heat looking very unhappy. After I sprayed them down, they got a lot more active and seemed to be breathing less heavy. Someone will probably tell me I shouldn't do that, but it seemed to work!

 

[AmpersatChick]

I was reading up on this the other day because I live in Arkansas. We've been lucky with mild weather but I know it's about to get very hot. The suggestions I read were frozen jugs of water, they will apparently gather around them, and keeping the ground wet. And fans and shade, which you are already doing.

 

[redsoxs]

I like to provide plenty of shade and went the dirt down in that shade - they scratch down into the cool earth - seems to help.

 

[mocluckin]

Thanks everyone for your comments... yes, I was spraying the hose on "mist" in front of the fan for a while and no, they weren't happy, but it made me feel better. and I also sprayed the ground, just wet everything down too. We made it through the rest of the day with no more losses. I also put frozen water bottles in their waterers to cool down the water temp... yikes... I hate feeling so helpless, but hopefully we've seen the worst. Is supposed to be cooling down into the 90's over the next few days.