Recent Feedback
Do chickens suffer the heat as i lost one of my pekin's on wednesday they have plenty of fresh water, food and shade she was only about 2yrs, she laid an egg on the tuesday and was quite active, let them out of there coop in the morning and find her on the bvottom
Optional Information: Type of Animal: chicken Gender: Female Age: 2yrs approx Name of Bird: little mumto have chicks as she was the first Already Tried: tried everthing possible
Hello
Yes the heat can affect your birds
Heat stress can cause significant losses
As birds lack sweat glands, their only method of cooling is rapid respirations with open mouth. If the body temperature rises, birds become exhausted, and die from respiratory, circulatory or electrolyte imbalances.
You need to try and move their pen into a shady area. Try and ensure that there is adequate ventilation and that they always have access to plenty of fresh drinking water
http://uvasvet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/heat-stress-in-poultry-heat-stroke-heat.html
I would also check the birds and their housing for red mite. Lice and mites can be very debilitating and they have been very bad this year
http://poultrykeeper.com/red-mite/
please reply if you have further questions
My chickens have a coop to sleep in at night but have the free run of the garden and they have plenty of fresh water as when it's hot like it has been we change the water in the afternoon, there is plenty of shade in the for then which they have found
It's good that you provide them with shade. Make sure that they also have an area where they can have a dust bath. Have you checked and treated for lice and mites? The best way to find out exactly why you have had a death, is to have a post mortem carried out on the body. Your vet would be able to advise you where the best place would be to have this done.
Experience: BVMS MRCVS
Hi Angie,I'm just following up on our conversation about Little Mumto Have Chicks As She Was The First. How is everything going?Fiona Steel