Heat Stress in Poultry - A Guide for Smallholder Farmers
Keeping poultry healthy during hot weather is essential for smallholder farmers. Heat stress occurs when chickens struggle to regulate their body temperature, leading to reduced productivity and health issues. Understanding the signs and taking preventive measures can help protect your flock. In this article we explore what heat stress is, how to identify it, action steps to take, and how to prevent it in future.
What is heat stress?
Heat stress is a condition that affects chickens when they are exposed to high temperatures and humidity. A chicken cannot sweat like a human can to cool itself down. Chickens get rid of their excess heat by evaporating moisture during breathing. Chickens experience heat stress when they are exposed to high temperatures and humidity at levels where they struggle to regulate their body temperature.
What are the effects of heat stress?
Heat stress can make less productive.
When they get too hot, they eat less food, which means they grow slower and lay fewer eggs.
Eggs may have weak shells or be smaller than usual.
Heat stress increases the birds chances of contracting diseases.
Birds breathe heavily and drink more water, which can cause watery droppings.
In severe cases, chickens can become weak, collapse, or even die.
How to identify heat stress
Panting and Open Beaks – Chickens pant to cool down, similar to how dogs regulate their temperature. When a chicken is experiencing heat stress it will open its beak wide and breathe rapidly.
Reduced Feed Intake – Birds eat less in hot weather, which can negatively impact growth and egg production.
Increased Water Consumption – Chickens drink more water to stay cool.
Lethargy and Wing Spreading – Birds may become less active and hold their wings away from their bodies to release heat.
How to help heat stressed chickens
Provide the chickens with stress packs such as HydroVit to replenish electrolytes lost during heat stress.
Ensure access to cool, clean water.
Feed the chickens during the cooler times of the day.
Do not handle or disturb the chickens during the hottest time of the day.
Improve ventilation in the poultry house.
Reduce stocking density.
Ensure chickens are not in direct sunlight.
Monitor closely.
How to prevent heat stress in future
Do not handle or feed chickens during the hottest part of the day.
Ensure chickens always have access to clean and cool drinking water.
Ensure the house has enough shelter and that birds are not in direct sunlight.
Monitor ventilation closely to ensure there is adequate ventilation in the house.
Prevent overstocking. Too many birds in a small space increases the likelihood of heat stress.
Record keeping
It is good practice to record the minimum and maximum daily temperatures in a chicken house. Records can help in identifying trends and managing accordingly.
Heat stress is a common phenomenon in poultry houses in many parts of Africa due to high temperatures and humidity. It is important for farmers to know how to identify, manage, and prevent heat stress. Ensure that you share this article with fellow farm workers so heat stress can be identified and managed quickly and effectively.
Training Material
At U-MIX we are dedicated to creating and distributing training material for smallholder farmers.
Please visit our training material library to access these resources or sign up to receive a copy of our Poultry Training Manual.
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