It’s very hot here

The last few days have been 90 degrees f (32 degrees c) which is unusually hot for us. It’s the hottest June for twenty years and the hottest days of the year so far.

The one thing I have learned recently is that seramas don’t mind the heat at all. They originate from Malaysia so are a breed that have been used to heat. I worried when they would sit in the sun in the middle of the day with their beaks open. “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” so the expression goes and I can now add seramas to that.

I am not going to worry about them any more as it is their choice to sit in the sun. Emerald and Speckles have been spending their days in the shade while the seramas continue to go about their business in the sun completely unfazed.

Shade in the chicken run

Luckily the run is in a good position for hot weather. The chicken shed is shaded by the huge trees at the back of our property so it never has any sun on it.

The left side of the run is shaded above the roof by trees and below the roof by shrubs so there is always shade on half of the run. Emerald and Speckles sit in the shade here.

Emerald and Speckles sit in the shade

Shade giving shrubs in the chicken run

Rusty found a new place to perch

I gave the girls some peas in the afternoon to cool them a bit and this time I left them in the dish.

Peas are now acceptable from a dish

The girls have the peas from a dish

Emerald has her beak open

By the end of the day Emerald was perched with her beak open. Her black feathers don’t reflect the sun as much as the other girls and she seems to feel the heat the most.

I took in a watering can and soaked all the perches, the wooden blocks, the metal table and the patio area. I hoped this would help to cool things a little.

At bedtime the little girls went in but Emerald and Speckles stayed out on the perch at the end of the run. I don’t want them down there at night where possible predators would be able to see them. Although we have made our run predator proof I don’t want to leave the girls where they could be seen at night and tempt a predator to test the run.

I lifted them from the perch and put them in the shed but I left the shed door half open and I tipped another can of water over the patio area.  I hoped this would let in cool air to make them more comfortable.

By lunch time today Emerald had her beak open once more. I decided to try the frozen peas in a dish of cold water once more and see if that would help cool her down.

Peas in a dish of cold water

The girls are now willing to take the peas from the cold water. I hope this helps hydrate them at the same time as cooling them.

Emerald is moulting heavily and has now lost her middle tail feather as you can see the photo above.

The girls gather around the dish of cold water and peas

They will now take the peas from the water

I will continue with this regime while the temperature stays at 90. I hope it won’t be for too many days. It’s forecast to drop a bit after midweek.

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5 Responses to It’s very hot here

  1. Marion Pharo says:

    Lucky girls to be so well looked after, That heat was just to much.

    • It is too much. I like the sun but not this hot. I know that when it gets too hot for me it’s getting too hot for them. Luckily it seems that I don’t need to worry about the seramas though. I will probably worry about them in the winter.

  2. Jenny says:

    I’ve copied your pea idea ?

  3. I said at the beginning of this post that we had just had the hottest June day for twenty years. That was followed by an even hotter day and we have now had the hottest June day for forty years. We have had the hottest June day since the memorable summer of 1976. I remember it well because it was the year I did my exams.

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