Chill, chicken!

(Amazing photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)

Fact:

I have chickens. Chickens can experience heat stress at 83 dF.

Fact:

M - F this week, our temps = 104, 107, 103, 103, 106.

107 = 25 degrees above what can stress chickens out.

Yesterday 1 chicken was wheezing--I've never heard that, freaked,

then read that when experiencing stress (incl. from temp. extremes),

other things (infections, whatever) can come up that normally

chickens would successfully fend off.

Just like people; stress can kill.

Fact:

My chickens are afraid of the kiddy pool I bought to cool their feet.

Fact:

My friends are smart, and gave me good ideas. So...

Operation Chicken Rescue!

This morning I did the following by 9 a.m.

• raked moldy old straw out of chicken runs
• shoveled up fresh leaf litter from beneath our oak tree, moved to runs
• dragged giant hose to sprinkle litter and soil--so chickens can cool their feet in damp soil
• changed chicken's water
• put more fresh bedding in their coop so there's very little exposed poop
• fed them (cold) organic whole yogurt (to help tummy healthy biota) w/raw shelled sunflower seeds & mixed lettuce

Response to new yard run situation? Three seconds later, they were out,

digging for bugs in the litter, moist soil cooling their little feet.

Hooray! Crossing fingers for this afternoon.

And, today I'll also buy a fan

to help circulate the air in the coop.

(I wish I could buy one of these! from Woodcock & Wilson Ltd., UK.)

Yesterday I had to drop what I was doing (work) to chill my chickens:

spent a few hours guarding them under a tree,

while they waded in a little grassy moat of cold water.

And my wheezer stopped wheezing. Phew.

Finally I came back inside, ready to work again, and the power went out.

For over 2 hours.

Apparently, my job was to chill.

Next time I'm buying skinny chickens, lightly feathered.

I'll knit them scarves for winter.

xobb