What to Do When Chickens and Ducks Suffer Heatstroke? Detailed Prevention and Treatment Measures

1. Causes of heatstroke in chickens: Persistently high temperatures, low chicken house height, poor heat prevention and cooling facilities, and lack of ventilation cause obstacles to the dissipation of accumulated heat in the house, making the temperature inside high; excessive stocking density means the flock releases more heat, raising the house temperature; manure is not cleaned in time, and after chicken manure accumulates, the ammonia concentration in the house increases and humidity rises, and under high temperature and high humidity, chickens' heat dissipation is impaired; insufficient drinking water; feed energy is too high, causing chickens to become overweight and accumulate too much body fat.

2. Symptoms and pathological changes of heatstroke in chickens: The first symptoms are rapid breathing and increased heart rate. When the surrounding temperature exceeds 32°C, intermittent panting with the mouth open and neck extended appears as a characteristic heat gasp, with both wings raised and feathers ruffled. The comb and face are first bright red and then cyanotic, and some are pale; water intake increases and appetite decreases. When the temperature rises further, sick chickens stand unsteadily, convulse and fall to the ground, become drowsy or even comatose, and some suddenly fall to the ground and die. Egg production rate declines, eggs become smaller, eggshells become thinner, more brittle and rough on the surface, and the broken egg rate rises. Most dead chickens are well nourished and somewhat overweight or obese; rigor mortis is slow, the crop is full of feed, and when the nasal cavity is pressed, grayish-white mucus flows out; on necropsy, the muscles are pale and soft, with a boiled-meat appearance; the blood is purplish-black and clots poorly, the liver is brittle, enlarged and purplish-red, the myocardium is dilated, the lungs are congested, hemorrhagic and edematous, and some have catarrhal inflammation in the intestines; the cloacal mucosa is congested and hemorrhagic.

3. Preventive measures: Lower the house temperature, reduce the flock stocking density, strengthen ventilation, and improve environmental conditions. Strengthen management and improve the feed formula. In summer, chickens' maintenance consumption decreases, so the amount of energy feed supplied should be reduced, crude protein can be increased by 1%-2%, and salt and shell powder can be added in appropriate amounts; change the feeding time and method, avoid feeding during high-temperature periods, and feed frequently in small amounts in the cool morning and evening to stimulate feed intake; remove manure in time. In summer, manure is thinner and very prone to fermentation and spoilage, producing harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, inducing respiratory diseases, and wet manure does not dissipate heat easily. Strengthen sanitation and epidemic prevention work to prevent the occurrence of various diseases. Under heat stress, chicken antibody levels decline rapidly and body condition decreases. In addition, summer is also a high-incidence season for Escherichia coli and fowl cholera, so regularly adding antibacterial drugs to the feed can prevent and control the occurrence and spread of bacteria. Combined with cooling inside the house, disinfect the chicken house with chickens inside at least twice a week to kill pathogenic microorganisms. Ensure a full-day supply of sufficient clean cool water. During high temperatures, adding quick-acting Shuning, vitamin C, and electrolytic multivitamins to the water can significantly inhibit the rise in chicken body temperature, increase egg production, and at the same time reduce broken eggs and the feed-to-egg ratio. Some methods against heat stress can also be used, such as spraying water to wet the chickens' bodies to reduce mortality.

4. Symptoms of heatstroke in ducks: Heatstroke in ducks manifests as restlessness, shivering, and elevated body temperature, followed by coma, paralysis, spasms and death, or difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, wings spread and drooping, thirst, unsteady walking or inability to stand, and finally death from exhaustion. Necropsy shows congestion and hemorrhage in the brain parenchyma and meninges, poor blood clotting, intestinal edema, and congestion of the lungs and ovaries. In laying ducks, egg production decreases, and necropsy shows eggs retained in the body.

Prevention and treatment of heatstroke in ducks: The main preventive measure is heat prevention and cooling, while also increasing the nutrient concentration of the daily ration and improving feed palatability. The main measures are: whitewash the duck house, roof, and walls; plant many climbing plants such as luffa and Boston ivy, or build a shade awning over the exercise yard; open the doors and windows of the duck house to strengthen air circulation, and if conditions permit, install exhaust fans or ceiling fans; carry out spray disinfection with ducks inside, which can not only effectively lower the temperature but also kill microorganisms; you can also sprinkle water on the floor inside the house and spray water on the roof to lower the temperature; let ducks out early and shut them in late, increase midday rest time and the number of times they enter water, and on clear midsummer days, turn on lights in the exercise yard so the ducks can cool off outdoors overnight. Feed more green forage and provide sufficient cool drinking water, especially deep well water, and avoid storms. Summer has higher humidity and high temperatures, and there are many mosquitoes and flies, which increases opportunities for disease transmission, so attention should be paid to the prevention of infectious diseases, especially deworming. Use drugs to prevent and treat duck diseases: (1) Use the disinfectant methylchloroisothiazolinone ammonium for good disinfection. (2) Use heatstroke prevention drugs correctly. The main heatstroke prevention drugs are: quick-acting Shuning, dissolve each bottle in 1000 grams of water, or mix with 500 grams of feed, for 3-5 consecutive days, and it can be used continuously during stress and when the temperature exceeds 29°C; Reshuping, dissolve each bag in 300 kg of drinking water or mix with 150 kg of feed, and at the same time combine with vitamin C and electrolytic multivitamins to effectively prevent the occurrence of heatstroke, making it the best choice for summer heat prevention.