AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Thank you, kindly doggo, I have actually only kept chooks for 2 seasons now and do not have the wealth of knowledge, wisdom and eggsperience as soozorps, I look up to soozorps as a mentor and sage.

Thanks P.P. for the kind words and I know you always listen to others as well
its all a big learning curve for everyone even those like myself that have had birds a loooooong time

I did not grow up being told not to feed the larger hard grains (corn)
I decided not to feed this one in particular after doing temperature readings of the chooks when fed corn on both hot and cold days (many years ago now and obviously over a Summer and Winter)
the temperature variant was only small but on a hot day 'small' is enough so far as I am concerned (personal opinion only here of course)

Basic Physics = for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction = eat the corn the stomach has to work harder to grind down and digest the corn, the more work the stomach has to do the more energy expenditure, the more heat produced via the more energy

also after wetting my birds during the 2009 fires a number of them contracted Cocci = I found out later that the property had had chooks with Cocci on it before we moved there so the moisture 'encouraged' the Cocci (simple explanation as we dont need to get into that conversation here)

Therefore as a result of the 'tests' done many years ago and the problem my birds had with the Cocci after those firestorms I decided to feed only minimal amounts of hard grains thru Summer allowing mainly pellets to be consumed along with the greens fed to my birds

I absolutely expect everyone to listen to all sides of any discussion and make up their own minds
(as I know you do P.P.)

so folks lets get back to the question at hand =

ways to help reduce the heat stress to chooks on hot days
any other suggestions to make it easier for them AND for their owners
( like wetting them and/or their area down and like my double roof system)

I am tremendously impressed by your commitment in undertaking this difficult and complex research.

The only thing I can add is that I got up early and had the hose going under the trees that my free range chooks usually sit under all day. I made it fairly damp. As well as filling their dust bath holes with water.
When I went out in the afternoon to check on them a young goanna was sitting in the shade near my dogs water trough with an older Isa girl sitting nearby.
I did bring one of my wyandottes inside by the cooler when the temp hit 41c she doesnt handle the heat very well at all.

I had one of my Crele Orpingtons in the kitchen (aircond in house) as he started to show heat stress
he will spend a lot of time inside this Summer I think

that must have been one hot Goanna!
did you get a pic? or were you just too hot to think abt that

soozorps, I think Dottie will be spending a bit more time indoors by the aircon in the days to come.
And yes it was to hot to bother with a camera, goannas are not one of my favourite animals. He ran very fast to the nearest tree as my young gsd was on his tail.

not near the aircond just in a room that is cooled by it

and Dottie excellent name

Sorry for took a photo of a blue tongue catching some sun and one of my girls rather curious and sizing it up!

Bought a very large whole watermelon today for the girls and froze some pieces for them.

good P.P. I know your birds love frozen watermelon

my wish re hot weather = that is goes away and stays away - warm but not hot please

a friend told me last night (over phone) she grates really cold apple and carrot and her birds scoff it and they always seem to survive any heat

foods such as bran and corn are hot foods, and release more energy, which you DO NOT want in hot weather. avoid feeding corn of any form or bran in hot weather.

these make excellent winter feeds.