Warning: Backyard Chickens Dying In Brutal Las Vegas Heat
Backyard chickens have been dying due to extreme heat in the Las Vegas Valley, Fox 5 reports.
According to a story by Fox 5, a local woman named Linzy Stahl said three of her chickens and turkeys have died due to the intense heat.
Stahl told Fox 5 that she had to put a swamp cooler to help protect her chickens from the harsh temperature.
How To Protect Against Chickens Dying In Las Vegas Heat
In 2018, the city approved an ordinance that allowed residents to keep up to 10 chickens. Since then, the average temperature has increased, and now chicken owners must figure out ways to keep their chickens protected, cool and healthy amid blistering temperatures.
Chickens are not the only animals affected by the record-breaking heat. Dogs have been dying due to heat stroke and inadequate care.
There are ways to help protect livestock — especially chickens who don’t cool down as easily. According to the Pahrump Valley Times, “Chickens are most comfortable at a temperature of around 75 degrees.”
This means that when temperatures kiss the 100-degree and up range, chickens are extremely uncomfortable. One of the most basic pieces of advice is to keep the air moving and to keep the chicken’s drinking supply cold. It’s simply not enough to fill the drinking supply once a day. The water needs to be constantly cooled and refilled so that the drinking supply doesn’t become too hot, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.
Given the extreme level of heat in the desert, we recommend putting some fans or a swamp cooler to help your chickens cool down even more. A poultry online blog says that chickens don’t sweat, so they regulate their body temperature by panting and losing heat through unfeathered body parts.
“To help chickens keep cool in a heatwave, you need to help them regulate their temperature effectively so that they don’t overheat and die,” the poultry blog states.
Ensure that there is heavy-duty shade, and have a constant flow of cooling treats like frozen berries, cold watermelon, rehydrated mealworms, iceberg lettuce, etc. Another important note is to never fully wet your chickens because this will interfere with the chicken’s natural cooling process.
“Chickens can be cooled by submerging their underpart (feet, legs, belly) in cool (not icy) water. However, most chickens find submersion stressful, which will make them hotter and more susceptible to heat stress,” the poultry blog states.
If you can, misters are effective because they cool the ground and moisten the environment for the chickens.
What To Do If Your Chicken Has Heat Stress
If you have a heat-stressed chicken then it’s important to understand the symptoms. Chickens who have heat stress will show signs of panting, pale combs, pale wattles, diarrhea, a decrease in egg production, less roaming, outstretched wings and erect feathers, according to Grubbly Farms, a chicken feed company.
To treat a chicken with heat stress, Grubbly Farms recommends moving the chicken to an emergency cooling area, treating the chicken with tons of electrolytes and monitoring your chicken overnight.
“Provide some protein-rich snacks like grubs, and fruit like watermelon, cantaloupe, or berries. The protein will provide energy, and the fruits will be quenching with natural sugars and electrolytes,” Grubbly Farms states.
