With the kind permission of Mr Nigel Tonkin, BCSA President, I am posting this article that he has written. Particularly at this time of extreme weather temperatures I thought it would come in great use to our members.

 

 

Hi all I am just sending a friendly comment to some who may not have been in the fancy that long in relation to heat and the birds: these are things that I DO or DO NOT do and you and others may beg to differ:

 

Please feel free to pass on to as many fanciers as you would like:

 

WATER

DO add ice cubes to the water in the a.m. keeping the water cooler for a longer period of time

DO water in the early part of the day - I try to around 6 - 7 a.m. and then again later in the evening - I try around 7.30 - 8.30 p.m (I have lights on timers so the birds can see until 11 p.m. and the light commence again at 5 a.m. in this weather - if not already light).[/color] DO check the water later in the day - early evening to ensure all containers have water[/color] DO change the water daily TWICE if you can[/color] DO use OPEN trays, glass or enamel - not galvanised. I am not one for upturned bottles as they DO NOT ALLOW all of the birds access to the drinking water when they need it, only permits one at a time v's a flock situation DO NOT add vitamins as these can 'go off' DO add aviclens or similar to the water DO NOT spray the birds in the aviary during the day as this increases humidity and puts more stress on the birds

AIRFLOW and AVIARY ACTIVITY If able, have fans on to creat air movement. Air-conditioning can be dangerous as if at 20 degrees and the power goes off, then major issues with a potential + 20 degrees jump in temp over a short period of time Get in to the aviaries early and get out and stay out to prevent disturbance of the birds Let the birds attempt to control their own day without interruption once you have fed, watered and turned on any items you might use Insulate if you are able, but only when cool Shade cloth is good to take some of the heat off the aviary

GREENS None to be given, unless in the early morning or late p.m and it can be consumed totally in a short period of time

SOFTFOODS and SOAKED / SPROUTED SEED I ceased the add ins once warmed up I feed Sprouts 25% of normal in the early hours of the morning and now a similar amount when I rewater the birds in the evening. Can be a treat if done properly, can be a disaster if overdone and or seeds are not thoroughly rinsed.

CHECKING BIRDS Check both in the a.m. and p.m for issues - I have just found a hen with a clogged bum, normal looking faeces, but because some of our birds have longer feather around the vent, there can be times when the faeces attach and then a blockage and then potential death.

As I stated at the outset, fanciers might not agree with what I present above and that is okay as long as we are all aware of the need to use best practice in preventing disasters with our livestock then I will be happy Have a great day

Cheers Nigel T

 

Nigel Tonkin (BCSA President)

Edited January 31, 200916 yr by Trish

Thankyou Trish and especially Nigel for this very helpful topic :rofl:

I a great read. Very interesting about the water spraying too, i hadn't thought about it increasing stress.

 

Thank you Mr Nigel Tonkin and Trish

Great read, Thankyou.... always open for ideas and suggestions during this hot time of the year.

that is good writting and im glad to see it clearly states to add ice in the am as adding ice when heat is at uttmost can cause the birds a shoke to their system and cause death