Chicks breathing heavy

My chicks are 26 days old hatched by my broody hen. Yesterday she left them and went out to forage all day(they won't seem to follow her that far away from the coop) but did spend the night with them on their nest. Today she looks like she's done brooding and has left them(she also laid an egg).

I have 2 questions: are they still to young to be left at that age? Also, I spent an hour with them today and before I left the coop they jumped up on the roost to rest. They both looked like they were breathing really hard. Right above the beak I could see their skin kind of sucking in and out as they breathed(I hope this makes sense). Could they be ill and thats why mama has abandoned them so early?

I've had hens that were done with taking care of their chicks by the time they were 3 weeks old. This is too young for chicks to be without heat. I imagine you have had some cold nights recently. I would go ahead and put the chicks in a brooder with heat. Or possibly hang a heat lamp inside the coop where they are living.
The heavy breathing is worrysome tho. Is there a lot of dust in their coop? Is the bedding moldy by any chance? They could be getting chilled. Or just nervous with you in there with them.

red horse ranch said:

I've had hens that were done with taking care of their chicks by the time they were 3 weeks old. This is too young for chicks to be without heat. I imagine you have had some cold nights recently.  I would go ahead and put the chicks in a brooder with heat. Or possibly hang a heat lamp inside the coop where they are living.
The heavy breathing is worrysome tho. Is there a lot of dust in their coop? Is the bedding moldy by any chance? They could be getting chilled. Or just nervous with you in there with them. :/

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Thanks Red Horse Ranch. I went ahead and put the light out that night and now, just a few days later, they are up on the roosts with the big girls all night. I haven't noticed more weird breathing so I'm just keeping an eye on them. Can chicks get that respiratory infection and get better, or do they usually perish?

Chickens can get colds and a few other respiratory illnesses that they can recover from. If they happen to get aspergiliosus (sp) the prognosis wouldn't be good. I lost more than half of my first chicks because I didn't know about moldy hay. (a lot of years ago). I don't think that is what affected your chicks tho since they seem to be okay now. They may have just been afraid with momma gone. Glad to hear they are doing good!

red horse ranch said:

Chickens can get colds and a few other respiratory illnesses that they can recover from. If they happen to get aspergiliosus (sp) the prognosis wouldn't be good. I lost more than half of my first chicks because I didn't know about moldy hay. (a lot of years ago). I don't think that is what affected your chicks tho since they seem to be okay now. They may have just been afraid with momma gone. Glad to hear they are doing good!

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Thanks. I did notice some crusty drainage around one of the chicks nose hole but the chick seems to be back to normal. Could of just been a respiratory infection that cleared up. This is my first hatch and I feel bad for the little guys but at least it's not just 1 chick by himself.

A6chickenhome said:

Thanks. I did notice some crusty drainage around one of the chicks nose hole but the chick seems to be back to normal. Could of just been a respiratory infection that cleared up. This is my first hatch and I feel bad for the little guys but at least it's not just 1 chick by himself.

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I just want to say that if they do get a cold(or basically any respiratory virus) it will be very hard on them, and if they recover they will be carriers for the rest of their lives and can infect other birds. I am dealing with the repercussion of a non-symptomatic bird dying from a respiratory disease who had spread to the rest of my 4 large fowl, and now they are *slowly* recovering from that. I can't put my bantams with them now because my own mistake. I don't wanna scare, but just a tip for the future.

I agree with the other person too, moldy hay is not good, but I agree you're safe from that. I wish you well with your chicks!

Areolyn said:

I just want to say that if they do get a cold(or basically any respiratory virus) it will be very hard on them, and if they recover they will be carriers for the rest of their lives and can infect other birds. I am dealing with the repercussion of a non-symptomatic bird dying from a respiratory disease who had spread to the rest of my 4 large fowl, and now they are *slowly* recovering from that. I can't put my bantams with them now because my own mistake. I don't wanna scare, but just a tip for the future.

I agree with the other person too, moldy hay is not good, but I agree you're safe from that. I wish you well with your chicks!

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You know, now that I think about it, I ordered my original flock at pullet age and I remember one of the hens had a kind of sneeze and some crusting around the nose hole shortly after I recieved them. I wonder if that hen is a carrier of something? All of my chickens appear healthy but maybe they all had something at some point and got over it but are now carriers of a respiratory virus.

Thanks Areolyn for that info. The chicks are doing well and getting big. It's amazing how fast they grow!