Panting from stress?

[fast240z]

My girlfriend and I recently became chicken parents and just moved our four girls to their outdoor coop for the first time yesterday. It was around 90*F and we had misters running to keep their run cool. Our buff orpington, frizzle cochin, and speckled sussex all seemed fine outside, but our blue laced red wyandotte was panting with her mouth open. We dunked her in a cool bucket of water and this stopped her panting until the sun went down.

This morning, I went outside to check on them (65*F) and the wyandotte started panting as soon as I opened the coop door. Could her panting be stress related? Her comb and wattle haven't quite grown in yet, but the other girls' has. Any ideas?

 

[Lauramay1980]

I know my one hen will pant from stress. So not sure. Good luck and I hope you get answers

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I think some are just more sensitive to the temps, too. My lavender Ameraucana seems to get hot and start panting and holding her wings out before the others do.

Is she holding her wings out? That could be a clue regarding whether it is the temps or stress.

 

[fast240z]

She's not holding her wings out consistently. She fluffed up in the direct sunlight this morning, but wasn't fluffed much yesterday and was panting non-stop until she left the run and went into the coop and calmed down for a bit.

 

[Outdoorlover]

I know my one hen will pant from stress. So not sure. Good luck and I hope you get answers

Stress from what?
(new to chicken keeping, just trying to learn more)

 

[aart]

Stress can be anything....
...new layers, frightened for any reason, illness, change in housing.
I've seen new layers pant even when temps are coolish.

@fast240z how old are these birds?
Was the house much cooler than the coop?
(I'm assuming they were in the house.)
Be careful with the dunking, it can shock them.

It can be hard to tell between when a bird is hot and too (life threatening) hot,
especially fr new chicken keepers. Takes some experience.

To determine heat stress levels I go by activity level, if panting and wing holding seems extreme, I throw out a few treats to see how everyone is moving.

Had hen suffer heat exhaustion/stroke last summer, she was standing stock still and let me walk right up to her(not at all normal for this bird). I determined she could not see out of one eye at all and the other was dicey. I started hydrating her with Qtip soaked in Sav-a-Chik solution held against the side of her beak, had to rub under her beak and the front of her neck to get her to swallow at first. Did this until she got too stressed, about 10 minutes, put her in a cage with a fan nearby to rest. Repeated this about every hour for half the day until she would drink out of a cup held in front of her. She recovered and I also gave the rest of the flock a dose of Sav-a-Chik solution in an open waterer(I use horizontal nipples on waterers), it really seemed to reduce the heat stress so now do that regularly when the heat waves are extreme and days long. Just a half gallons worth every couple days.

 

[Outdoorlover]

@aart that chicken is lucky to have you as her caretaker!

 

[azygous]

If your pullet is slow in developing her comb and wattles, that may be one reason she's feeling uncomfortable in the heat as those appendages help dissipate excess heat.

However, some individuals will be more apt to pant on hot days than others. I have a Cuckoo Marans that pants on warm days when all the rest of the flock appear to be showing no signs of feeling the heat.

Just as we don't think much about a dog or cat panting on warm days, we shouldn't be too quick to panic about a chicken doing the same. Making sure out chickens have shade, good air circulation, and adequate fresh, cool water to drink should be enough to keep them from suffering heat distress.

If you feel hot and uncomfortable, chances are so are your chickens. Adding electrolytes to their water, giving them treats frozen into an ice block to chip away at, and ice added to their water container will help prevent heat issues.

As aart mentioned, be on the alert for individuals that are behaving lethargically. I'll add that the facial tissue of a chicken that is experiencing heat issues may be a brighter cherry red color. Removing this chicken to a cooler space and administering electrolytes can save a life.

 

[Lauramay1980]

Stress from what?
(new to chicken keeping, just trying to learn more)

She doesn't like storms or strangers near her.

 

[fast240z]

@aart- they're about 3 months old now, we got them as day old chicks in late April.

They were living in one of our spare bedrooms in a dog crate for since we got them, so i suspect they haven't climatized to the heat outside at all.

Dunking helped stop the panting almost immediately, and I made sure the water wasn't cold to prevent shock. The Wyandotte (maebelle) immediately looked relieved and the color of her face went back to a normal pink.

I also set up a clip on fan and put some ice water in their coop, and they seem to be in much better spirits today.