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- Backyard Poultry Newsletter Summer 2024
Will Strickland
Asst. Extension Agent – ANR
Statewide Poultry Extension Contact
Hill Farm Research Station
11959 Hwy 9
Homer, LA 71040
318-741-7431
Introduction from the Editor- Will Strickland
In hot weather you may hear to frequently change out the water in your drinkers to help keep your birds cool. While giving fresh, clean water to your birds is a great practice, and usually the water coming from our taps or spigots is cooler than the water in the drinkers, it is more important to be mindful of where we place our drinkers, as the water in them often heats back up faster than we may realize. Just as it feels hotter to us in the sun compared to the shade, the water in drinkers placed in the sun will heat up faster. In general, it is better to place our drinkers in the shade than out in the sun to keep the temperature cooler.
As we can see with these drinkers placed in the shade and the sun, it has a big effect on the rate that the water temperature increases in your drinker. In this summer heat it can be harder to keep our drinker water temps comfortable for our birds. Genrally, the ideal drinker water temperature for poultry is considered to be a range from 65-85°F. Water colder than 41°F may cause birds to reduce their water intake, and as the water gets closer to their body temperature (≈ 106°F) water intake can also be reduced and birds may eventually refuse to drink if it is too hot. This can be especially problematic as birds pant when they are heat stressed. They evaporate water from their air sacs (their lungs), to help dissipate heat, and therefore their water needs increase.
Some people may be tempted to put ice in their drinkers, and while this can help to lower the temperature, this should usually be avoided with chicks to keep from chilling them and the ideal range is not down near freezing temperatures. Putting ice or icepacks in a drinker reservoir is not like adjusting the handles of your faucet to get the right temperature in your sink. Additionally you may be surprised how quickly the ice melts and the drinker heats up, especially in the sun. A better practice would be to insulate your drinker to slow the rate that the water temperature increases.
These drinkers were dumped and refilled with ice and water and the temperature recorded. The temperature was much cooler at first, with some even dipping below 65°F, but the initial temperatures in the drinkers varied and the temperatures quickly rose, especially for those drinkers in the sun.
While replacing your bird’s water to provide fresh clean water is a great practice, the placement of the drinker itself is important to consider when trying to keep your birds (and their water) cool in the summer heat.
- Will Strickland
One common question often asked by backyard producers is why are my hens laying fewer eggs or have stopped laying all together? There can be numerous reasons for this but the most common are due to nutrition, environment, and management.
Adequate nutrition is critical for egg production. Reproduction is a luxury, what I mean is that the hen’s needs for growth and maintenance have to be met before she will devote resources to reproduction or egg laying. If adequate nutrition is not given, you will not get the production of eggs you are hoping for. Therefore, make sure you are feeding a diet formulated for layers when they are ready to start lay (≈5 months). For example, calcium needs are incredibly increased for birds in lay due to the calcium turnover rate and many layer diets will have around 4% calcium in the ration. Energy needs will also increase as the hen transitions into lay. Not only is it required to make the yolk and albumin in the egg, but eggshell formation is also very energy intensive.
Environmental factors can also affect lay, such as light. As we get deeper and deeper into fall and winter the hours of daylight become shorter and shorter. Some of you may have noticed your hens laying fewer eggs in this time. This is because chickens are what are considered long day breeders, meaning that their reproductive systems are not fully active below 12 hours of light. However just as is often done commercially, we can augment them with artificial light such as a light bulb. Now there are some caveats to consider with this. Generally, poultry are stimulated off their largest light source which for our backyard birds will normally be the sun. However, usually a 10-fold light change is what must occur for our birds to think there is a change from dark to light. So, if our coops are well lit with artificial light, they can still perceive long day lengths, even in the middle of winter.
Management is another key factor in egg lay. Nests need to be clean, dry and preferably darker. If not wanting the hen to brood your eggs to hatch, then make sure to check for eggs at least 3 times a day, preferably 5 times a day. This is because hens will que off the sight of eggs and stop laying as many eggs because she starts to focus on incubating her eggs instead of laying more eggs.
- Will Strickland
The Buff Orpington is a dual purpose breed with a calmer demeaner. Being a dual purpose breed they are acceptable egg layers that can also be processed and cooked at home. They are of large size and white skinned and make for a well dressed bird for the table. Full grown they can range from 7-10 pounds in weight. They have a heavy full plumage protecting them from the elements and are considered both cold and heat tolerant. On average they lay about 200 brown shelled eggs a year. Their quieter demeanor makes them good mothers, easy hens to have around, and excellent show birds.
