The Chickens Were Doing Just Fine. Then the Heat Wave Killed Millions.

A late-June heat wave in France killed millions of chickens, highlighting how extreme temperatures strain modern poultry systems. During France’s hottest stretch on record, on June 23, temperatures rose inside a long shed where birds were kept at night, and about 1,500 chickens died within several hours. By the time Isabelle Renaudier opened the door, one-third of the flock was dead; the birds were 19 days away from slaughter. The article explains that chickens can pant and become dehydrated, and that fast-growing broilers—designed for rapid growth—may be particularly vulnerable due to their high metabolism. Officials described “massive die-offs” in western poultry regions as temperatures reached 105°F. Industry representative Yann Nédélec from Anvol estimated 2.5 to 3 million birds died, mostly chickens, after workers halted large pickups and farmers faced carcasses left to rot. Past heat events include 17 million deaths in India in 2015 and 400,000 in the Pacific Northwest in 2021.