Never bought chicks in July before

[cscigu]

Atwoods has had them the last few times I've been in there, but I'd already ordered my desired breeds back in April, so I've ignored them. Today I noticed they even had some guineas and ducks. Now that is real unusual at this time of year in my experience. The kicker was there were even a few crested ducklings.
My wife has wanted both guineas and crested ducks, so I found myself leaving with 3 guineas and 2 crested ducks. Its only more work for me.
I put them in my usual water tank brooder setup in the barn, knowing no heat lamp would be necessary. Current temp in Oklahoma: 102. Now I'm actually a little concerned about the heat. I know a chick's body temp is 107, but not sure about guineas and ducks. I reasoned that guineas are a tough lot, and ducks can use the water. I positioned the brooder tank near the big barn door, in the shade. They seem fine. Not huddling, for sure.
What eases my mind a bit is that the chickens will still venture into the barn during the day, despite the fact I wet down a nice area of dirt for them in the shade nearby. My thermometer in a little hotter area of the barn said 105 just now.
There's another thread here about heat lamps in the summer. I don't think I'll worry about that, Even at night if I pull that brooder into the barn and close the doors its going to stay in the upper 80s all night probably. The weather won't change until October, probably.

Anyone ever noticed chicks/ducks suffer from excessive heat? If so, I might consider dangling in a small frozen water bottle when it peaks out.

 

[SonoranChick]

Atwoods has had them the last few times I've been in there, but I'd already ordered my desired breeds back in April, so I've ignored them. Today I noticed they even had some guineas and ducks. Now that is real unusual at this time of year in my experience. The kicker was there were even a few crested ducklings.
My wife has wanted both guineas and crested ducks, so I found myself leaving with 3 guineas and 2 crested ducks. Its only more work for me.
I put them in my usual water tank brooder setup in the barn, knowing no heat lamp would be necessary. Current temp in Oklahoma: 102. Now I'm actually a little concerned about the heat. I know a chick's body temp is 107, but not sure about guineas and ducks. I reasoned that guineas are a tough lot, and ducks can use the water. I positioned the brooder tank near the big barn door, in the shade. They seem fine. Not huddling, for sure.
What eases my mind a bit is that the chickens will still venture into the barn during the day, despite the fact I wet down a nice area of dirt for them in the shade nearby. My thermometer in a little hotter area of the barn said 105 just now.
There's another thread here about heat lamps in the summer. I don't think I'll worry about that, Even at night if I pull that brooder into the barn and close the doors its going to stay in the upper 80s all night probably. The weather won't change until October, probably.

Anyone ever noticed chicks/ducks suffer from excessive heat? If so, I might consider dangling in a small frozen water bottle when it peaks out.

Definitely heat stroke is a reality here is southern AZ. The chicks might be too hot, which will bring on a host of problems...I got my girls in June and it was 105 degrees out. We did a brooder In the house with no heat
lamp and they were fine, after week two we opened the AC vent in their room so we actually had to COOL the brooder, it was too warm. Now that my girls are older and outdoors, there is no AC to rely on. We use frozen 2 liter jugs of water, and their favorite, a cookie sheet with ice chunks and ice water to dip their toes in and drink. If it is over 100 degrees outside you must provide them with a way to cool down. A fan will not work, as chicken do not "sweat"...they need cold water and/or foods to reduce internal body temps. Shade is your best friend, and watch out for humidity! Hope this helps!