We’ve had our share of warm weather already this spring, reminding us that a long, potentially hot summer is ahead.
Livestock owners are reminded that the hot weather not only affects cattle and hogs, but can also be troublesome for poultry.
Karen Johnson is a University of Minnesota Extension Educator in Wright County. She says chickens, turkeys and other poultry can start to show the effects of being too warm once the temperature gets up into the upper 70s, and similar to people, poultry can feel the effects of other factors beyond simply the air temperature…
“When heat stress occurs, it’s the combination between the environmental temperature and the humidity. So we want to make sure that we’re watching both of those numbers to determine and trigger when we need to provide additional assistance to our birds. For birds, their ideal zone is between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and once we get above that, we do see decrease in the animal’s feed intake as well as production, and they will begin to act and behave differently.”
Johnson says birds can actually start to pant if they’re getting overheated, and may try to drink more water than usual.
Suggestions on how to help your flock through a heat wave include improving ventilation and air flow in buildings where birds are housed, and offer plenty of cool, clean water that could even be supplemented with electrolyte or vitamin additives. Other suggestions include considering to withdraw feed 6 hours prior to the peak temperature expected for the day as the digestive process for most poultry tends to increase their body temperatures.
For more information, consult the full UMN Extension Poultry Care Guide.
