Latest / Valley Hatchery Podcast / Chicken Support Insights - Episode 28: What Your Chickens Wish You Knew Before the Heat Hits

Transcript

Chicken Support Insights - Episode 28: What Your Chickens Wish You Knew Before the Heat Hits · Valley Hatchery Podcast

• 0:08
  Tina: Hey everyone, welcome back to the Chicken Insights Podcast.
• 0:13
  Tina: I'm Tina, and today we're getting into one of the biggest seasonal issues backyard flock owners deal with every year.
• 0:21
  Tina: Summer heat stress.
• 0:23
  Nikki: Yeah, and honestly, that is the time of year when a lot of preventable problems start showing up fast if setups aren't adjusted early enough.
• 0:32
  Tina: Yeah, we're talking about the heat-related questions that spike every June and July, what people commonly misdiagnose, and the setup mistakes that usually lead to emergency calls.
• 0:45
  Nikki: Right.
• 0:45
  Nikki: And hopefully this helps people prevent problems before they're standing in the coop wondering why the flock suddenly crashed in the heat.
• 0:53
  Tina: All right, let's get into it.
• 0:54
  Tina: Nikki, what's one of the biggest heat-related mistakes chicken keepers make during summer?
• 1:00
  Nikki: One of the biggest things we hear is people assuming every panting bird has a respiratory problem when a lot of the time the flock is just overheating.
• 1:09
  Nikki: Chickens pant to release heat just like many other animals.
• 1:12
  Nikki: Open mouth breathing during extreme temperatures is often normal heat behavior.
• 1:17
  Nikki: There are times that it can become dangerous, and in that situation, you need to know what to look for.
• 1:23
  Nikki: Things like when they start holding their wings away from their body, reduced activity, decreased feed intake, and decreased egg production.
• 1:31
  Nikki: And in some more extreme cases, collapsing or death.
• 1:34
  Nikki: When chicks begin panting, holding their wings out, appearing weak or lethargic during hot weather, some keepers immediately assume the birds are sick and start giving medications, giving electrolytes in excessive amounts, supplements, or other treatments when in fact you just need to observe their behavior and make some environmental changes first.
• 1:55
  Nikki: If they start to exhibit those things, they need cooler conditions, fresh, cool water, increased airflow and ventilation, shade, and reduced handling.
• 2:05
  Nikki: Time wasted administering medications instead of addressing these issues can allow the bird's body temperature to continue rising.
• 2:13
  Nikki: Severe heat stress can progress quickly by heat stroke, organ damage, or death, which is why it's important not to waste that critical time.
• 2:21
  Tina: Yeah, and by the time people start treating the wrong issue, the real heat stress problem usually gets worse.
• 2:28
  Nikki: And this actually pairs well with some of our summer flock resources and heat stress prevention guide.
• 2:34
  Tina: Yes, absolutely.
• 2:35
  Tina: Always take a look at those.
• 2:37
  Tina: You can go to our website and go to the more section and care and get some there.
• 2:42
  Tina: And of course, you can look up other podcasts as well.
• 2:44
  Nikki: Absolutely.
• 2:45
  Nikki: And Tina, why does water management matter even more than shade during summer heat?
• 2:52
  Tina: Yeah, people usually focus on adding shade first, which does matter.
• 2:56
  Tina: But honestly, water management is what keeps laying hens functioning during prolonged heat.
• 3:01
  Tina: You're going to see egg production dropping fast when hens reduce water intake.
• 3:06
  Tina: Hot waters become less appealing to them.
• 3:08
  Tina: They don't want to drink that.
• 3:09
  Tina: They want nice, fresh, cooler water.
• 3:11
  Tina: So having them in the shade like that will help with that.
• 3:14
  Tina: Water needs to stay accessible, clean, and like I said, cooler throughout the day.
• 3:20
  Tina: Multiple stations are so important because when you have some of the birds that are higher in that hierarchy, they will try and push away some of these other birds or just hover over that spot.
• 3:32
  Tina: So you want to allow several areas so that you don't have any issues with that, with the birds stopping other birds from, of course, getting the water they need.
• 3:40
  Tina: And the shade helps, but hydration keeps the body systems functioning.
• 3:46
  Nikki: Right.
• 3:46
  Nikki: And especially birds can look fine in the morning and then crash later if they stop drinking enough during peak heat.
• 3:53
  Tina: Right.
• 3:54
  Tina: Absolutely.
• 3:55
  Tina: And before we move on, here's a quick reminder from Valley Hatchery.
• 4:01
  Cortney: Hey, this is Courtney, Customer Support Manager here at Valley Hatchery.
• 4:05
  Cortney: Quick reminder before we keep going.
• 4:07
  Cortney: The moment your chicks arrive, get them into a pre-warmed brooder, then call us right away.
• 4:12
  Cortney: Do not wait until the next morning.
• 4:14
  Cortney: That first 24 hours is the window that matters most.
• 4:17
  Cortney: Weak chicks, lethargy, anything that does not look right.
• 4:20
  Cortney: We need to hear from you immediately.
• 4:22
  Cortney: Our number is 1-800-652-7606.
• 4:27
  Cortney: If we are assisting other customers, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
• 4:32
  Cortney: Valley Hatchery has been shipping NPIP certified day-old chicks since 2009.
• 4:38
  Cortney: Our team has walked thousands of customers through their first delivery.
• 4:42
  Cortney: We know exactly what your birds have been through to reach you, and we know how to help.
• 4:47
  Cortney: Phone lines closed?
• 4:49
  Cortney: Email us.
• 4:50
  Cortney: Your message will not sit until Monday.
• 4:52
  Cortney: We monitor email every single day.
• 4:55
  Cortney: Weekends included, anytime.
• 4:57
  Cortney: Here is what every first-time mail order buyer needs to understand.
• 5:02
  Cortney: Mail order chicks are not the same as locally hatched birds.
• 5:06
  Cortney: They have traveled.
• 5:07
  Cortney: They are tired.
• 5:08
  Cortney: Getting that first 24 hours right takes expert guidance, and that is exactly what we are here to give you.
• 5:15
  Cortney: And before delivery day, make sure you have downloaded our free chick care guide at ValleyHatchery.com.
• 5:22
  Cortney: It walks you through everything from day one to week six, so nothing catches you off guard.
• 5:27
  Cortney: Our support does not end at checkout.
• 5:30
  Cortney: We are with you until your flock is fully grown and thriving.
• 5:33
  Cortney: Because at Valley Hatchery, we believe that getting your chicks is just the beginning.
• 5:39
  Nikki: Alright, let's jump back into the episode.
• 5:42
  Tina: What does a typical my flock is struggling in the heat support call sound like from the reps side, Nikki?
• 5:50
  Nikki: A lot of those calls honestly start with somebody saying, Well, my birds were frying yesterday and now they're acting really weak.
• 5:56
  Nikki: And usually there were warning signs boating for a couple days.
• 5:59
  Nikki: We also get a lot of calls about their birds that aren't eating or crowding in one area, or there's been a decrease in egg production.
• 6:07
  Nikki: We typically would go over the coop setup to see how it is or if any improvements were made prior to the heat wave.
• 6:13
  Nikki: Simple adjustments should be made 48 hours prior to a heat wave.
• 6:18
  Nikki: We do keep mentioning plenty of airflow and ventilation, but that is so important.
• 6:22
  Nikki: Adding plenty of backup water stations, as you mentioned, is also a good idea.
• 6:27
  Nikki: The water may have been dirty or the water may have been too warm or simply there wasn't enough.
• 6:33
  Nikki: Again, as you stated earlier.
• 6:34
  Nikki: Make sure the coop is large enough to prevent overcrowding pressure.
• 6:38
  Nikki: Chickens generate body heat while digesting feed.
• 6:42
  Nikki: So adjusting their feeding time is a good idea as well, like by feeding the majority of their ration early in the morning when temperatures are the coolest, or offering a smaller feeding in the evening after temperatures drop.
• 6:55
  Nikki: Avoid heavy feeding during the hottest part of the day.
• 6:59
  Nikki: This reduces the amount of metabolic heat birds produce when they are already struggling to stay cool.
• 7:05
  Nikki: And monitoring afternoon flock behavior to see if you notice any changes before the crisis point, because we've said it a million times.
• 7:14
  Nikki: They will tell you everything that you need to know just by watching their behavior.
• 7:18
  Tina: Yeah, getting to know your chickens and really keeping an eye on their behavior, you will notice things much better that way as well, much quicker.
• 7:26
  Tina: And most of the time, the setup itself was already struggling before the birds showed severe symptoms.
• 7:33
  Nikki: So, what setup adjustments prevent most summer flock losses before they happen?
• 7:39
  Tina: Yeah, honestly, most summer flock losses are usually setup problems before they're actually medical problems.
• 7:45
  Tina: Increasing the ventilation and airflow, you've mentioned this.
• 7:48
  Tina: That is so, so important.
• 7:50
  Tina: They need that airflow to help keep them cool.
• 7:52
  Tina: And like you mentioned, avoiding overcrowding, elevating the water management, making sure you have enough of the waterers, making sure that they are cool, making sure that they are cleaned and fresh often.
• 8:05
  Tina: You wouldn't want to drink warm water that was sitting out in the sun on a picnic table.
• 8:10
  Tina: It's the same.
• 8:11
  Tina: And they actually have to self-regulate their temperature, getting them out of the sun.
• 8:15
  Tina: If the sun moves, if your shaded area is shaded for a certain time, but then as the sun goes down or comes up in this case, the shade moves, you have to move it, move them with them, or at the very least, give them other options in shaded areas and making sure that those are fresh when they come out of the sun and start going into shade.
• 8:34
  Tina: So that's real important.
• 8:35
  Tina: Adjusting the routines around the heat.
• 8:37
  Tina: You mentioned this.
• 8:38
  Tina: Adjustments need to be made.
• 8:40
  Tina: Just as we adjust to different seasons, they do have to be adjusted as well.
• 8:46
  Tina: And checking the coop during peak afternoon temperatures instead of early in the mornings because it is a little cooler then.
• 8:54
  Tina: But you want to check it during peak temperatures and just make sure that everything is good.
• 8:59
  Tina: And summer flock care is mostly just in the preparation.
• 9:03
  Tina: Heat problems escalate once birds are already stressed.
• 9:08
  Nikki: And small adjustments made early usually prevent the emergency situation completely.
• 9:13
  Nikki: And hopefully this episode helps people think more preventively during summer instead of reacting once the flock is already in trouble.
• 9:22
  Tina: And real quick, if you've got a poultry question you want us to cover in a future episode, send it through the fan mail link in the description.
• 9:29
  Tina: We will answer it on one of our future episodes.
• 9:32
  Nikki: Yeah, we'd love to hear what you're dealing with in your own flock.
• 9:36
  Tina: Yeah, and if you haven't checked your coop setup during the hottest part of the day yet, that's honestly one of the biggest things you can do this week.
• 9:44
  Nikki: Pay attention to airflow, water access, crowding, and how your birds actually behave in peak heat.
• 9:51
  Tina: Thanks for listening to the Chicken Insights podcast, and we'll see you in the next episode.
• 9:56
  Nikki: See you next time.