Heat Exhaustion in Chickens
A few months back when the temperatures started to climb into
the 90's a customer called me concerned about her chickens. She asked me, “how
hot does it have to get before my chickens start to die”? Being a farmer and a
native Floridian I never really thought about chickens in the heat of summer.
Always providing shade and lots of water and expecting to lose a few from time
to time, just to what I call, natural causes. But I started really looking at
how the heat effects chickens during our hot summer days, with the added
humidity.
The summer heat is potentially
fatal to our chickens. How do we spot heat exhaustion and what can we do in
time to save them.
We don't really think about the heat in our environment until
we walk out of our air conditioned house, car or work place, and we are hit in
the face with a blast of hot humid air. Then you walk into your chicken coop and your
chickens are panting, like the family dog. They pant because they don't sweat.
In nature, animals adapt to the heat and the cold by regulating their body heat.
If your chickens are free ranging they will take care of themselves. They will
find a cool shady spot and sit quietly during the heat of the day. They will
dust themselves to protect their skin from excess sun, heat and parasites. They
will seek out cool damp spots under shrubs and bushes that trap in the moisture
from the afternoon thunder storms. But if your chickens are contained in a coop,
they can't take care of their natural need to protect themselves from the heat.
That is up to us as chicken keepers.
First sign they are too hot is the panting. A chickens normal
body temperature is between 104 to 107 degrees. They can tolerate heat 10 to15
degrees lower their normal temperature but once it reaches higher than 95
degrees the real stress begins. Cold isn't really a problem to them because they
have feathers and thick skin to protect themselves. But heat and humidity above
50% which we know increases the intensity of the heat can start to stress their
bodies.
At what temperature is the
Chicken effected?
Idea temperature range for chickens is: 65-75 degrees.
Starting to feel the stress: 75-85 degrees, slight reduction in feed consumption. Egg size may
be reduced and shell quality may be effected.
Heating up now: 85-90
degrees, feed consumption begins to fall off, weight gain slows, egg size
and shell quality declines, heat stress starts to effect there healthy lives.
Getting too hot: 90-95
degrees, feed consumption noticeably declines. Starting to reach into the danger
zone, for heavy layers and meat bird. The more body weight the more they are
effected. Birds become droopy, and listless.
Beginning to enter the Danger Zone: 95-100 degrees, may stop eating completely, egg production may
stop, showing effects of heat exhaustion, lethargic, staggering, extreme
panting, labored heavey breathing. Consuming large amounts of water, diarrhea, dehydration, rapid weight loss.
Danger Zone: Over 100
degrees, possible heat stroke, older chicken and heavy breeds may die due
to depletion of electrolytes. Extreme rapid breathing and panting, kidney
failure may occur, weakened immune system in unhealthy chickens, depletion of
calcium needed for egg production. Death.
There is no 911 for chickens with heat exhaustion, it is all
up to you now! Once you are in an emergency situation all you can do is get
them cooled off fast. Spray them down with water, soak their coop and if
possible get them shade and a fan. They are not going to be happy with any of
the actions you have to take, which is going to stress them out even more. Get electrolytes into them the best you can. You
may need to use a syringe to inject it into their mouth if they are
severe. After care is going to be
assuring they have plenty of good high quality feed, electrolytes, added
calcium for egg production and protein for weight gain. And then you modify
your coop to provide more shade, better ventilation, and a cooler environment
or free range your birds.
Prevention of Over Heating in
your coop
When designing your coop, choose a location with lots of shade
trees, if this is not possible on your farmstead design your coop with a high
pitched roof to allow good air circulation.
If you already have a coop, create open air shaded areas with
solid roofing. In a pinch, use tarps or easy up tents to create shaded areas.
Adding a fan in enclosed areas such as your roost and laying
box area.
Misters help cool air temperature. Even a garden sprinkler, during
the heat of the day. Wet the coop floors, but with moderation, this can cause
mold and mildew over time.
Don't over crowd your coop, give plenty of space per chicken
in the shaded areas.
Feed your chickens early morning or late afternoon, not in
the heat of the day.
Keep coop clean, chicken manure creates heat when
decomposing, adding to the heat over all of the area.
Keep water containers clean and filled, add electrolytes
during hot days.
Give your chickens watermelon, they love it and it is a nice
cool down snack.
So now that your chickens are cooled down, you can sit in the
shade with your chickens and share a slice of watermelon.
