scarlet has died

[mr darcy]

sorry to come back on here with sad news, but i know where to go when i need folks that will understand. I lost my Scarlet today, she died of heatstroke. I feel horrendously guilty. i was obliged to put everyone back in their pen today, temps had reached 38 degrees they have shade but prefer to be freerandge under the trees of course, sadly the dog needed some freetime as well so it was back to the pen for the girls. scarlet had gone ibnto lay, very hot in henhouse. I found her dead this evening. Her body was stiff but absolutely boiling hot. She's buried next to her sister Indie. Anyone have tips to keep chooks cool? Worried about it happening again, and full of greif for my fave girl...

[minskey]

oh I'm so sorry really hot here too but nothing compared to where you are.

[julesapple]

(((((Hugs MrD)))))


Know just how bad you must feel. I overheated two newly hatched chicks on Saturday and just had my last Pekin Frizzle chick stolen by a cat.

You could try spraying your girls with the hose on mist. It hasn't been nearly as hot here but it is really hard to keep them cool. We also prop open the henhouse roof a little during the day when they go into lay. Luckily, we were able to move the house to the pation and put it under the gazebo in a shady corner, but it is still very hot in there.

Two-litre plastic water bottles half filled with water and frozen, then placed in the henhouse will cool it down. You'd need to have quite a few in those temps to keep the house cool constantly. In extreme cases of heatstroke you can insert an icecube into the vents. Sounds drastic but if you are facing losing your bird then it might be a last resort.

Jules

[mr darcy]

thankyou, will try the hose misting and shading he house with big parasol perhaps, also the frozen bottles along the nest boxes, so horrid cos she obviously overheated whilst trying to lay, she'd collapsed by the door, her wings spread out, shame it's taken this to teach me that hens can die of heat, oh dear when will i know everything and stop killing my girls with ignorance!!
sorry about your chicks jules, flaming cats, should make slippers out of em!

[its hilly]

hugs to you Mr D, its so hard losing a favourite. Can you stick an extra vent over the nestbox bit? It must be very difficult for you in that heat, could you let dog out in the morning when its cooler for the girls in the run? But that still doesnt help when they go in the nestbox when its really hot.

[Suechooks]

Oh Mr D - I was only thinking about you yesterday and wondering where/how you were. It's so sad to lose a favourite girl that way and especially one you've had such good times with. Big {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}} from all of us. RIP Scarlet

[SuzyB]

So sorry to hear that Mr D. It is awful when you think you could have perhaps prevented something but Im sure we've all made mistakes and at least by posting on here when something does happen, we're helping someone else to avoid the same thing happening to them x x

[mr darcy]

Thankyou folks, yous is real sweeties, seemed so strange not to have her bussle out this morning in her normal bombastic way; the gals seem a bit confused as she told everyone what to do. off to find a bossy old hen on saturday at market...

[Nicos]

Aw..that's sad news.

Yes it's been really hot here...33C and my gals have been panting with their wings held out sideways. I do have some green fabric netting up as a sun shade but that wasn't enough- so i've filled a large bowl with cool water and stood them in it and splashed it up into their chest feathers and armpits ( wingpits doesn't qiute sound right does it???) so the feathers were sopping wet.
Took about 5 mins per bird.

It wasn't cold water cos I was worried I'd give them a shock.
It certainly helped.

I like the idea of the iced bottle in the nesting boxes- that'd be really easy to do!

I was rushing out to collect them once laid so they didn't poach !

[elizajay]

Very sad news, poor Scarlet. Made me run out and check on my broodies. They seem more than usually dedicated. This morning I pointed one towards food and water and she just sat and looked before returning to her eggs. So I gave them each a grape to get some moisture into them and maybe wake them from mesmerising.

[tlck9]

Sorry to hear your news, i'm going through a poorly stage with mine and it isnt easy.

I have more chance of them getting washed away than being over heated at the moment

[dexterdoglancashire]

so sorry to hear your news. BIG hugs from me and Dexy.

[mr darcy]

aww, you're all so kind
my friend down the road with chooks told me yesterday that he lost two birds from heat the same day as scarlet, apparently it had reached nearly 40 degrees, probably much more in nestboxes it's cool at the moment, around 24 so we will make some adjustments this weekend before it's back up in mid thirties again next week!
i seem to be getting on top of my featherlouse infestation, blimey that's been a nightmare to shift! even with a hygeine system that's practically given me an obsessional disorder
here's wishing all of yous with hen worries at this moment Bon courage!!