Do chickens sweat?

[tlouiselle]

A couple weeks ago some of my four of my five month old silkies came down with watery eyes, sneezing, and runny poo. I treated them with Duramycin-10. I treated the whole group of six (even the two who did not have it) because they had all been together.

Since then the ones who had it are 100% better. However, the two that did not have it but were on the antibiotic now have runny poo and ear crusties. The one with the more severe signs of this felt hot to touch compared to the other...AND since Saturday, I noticed she feels damp everytime I check on her/feel her. This morning she her topknot was in sections clumped together from moisture. She is maintaining her body weight. Eating/drinking. I put them back on Duramycin-10...hoping it will work.

We live in Florida and there is a lot of humidity in the air...I have the 2 in a playpen on our covered/enclosed porch. So she is not getting wet/rained on. The other is dry and fine.

Any thoughts?

 

[theoldchick]

Chickens don't sweat. However, those birds with fur instead of feathers will collect dew in high humid environments. Due to selective breeding the feather formation of Silkies have lost the water shedding ability. Oddly,those adorable birds act like a sponge and hold water next to their skin This ability is the reason why they should be dried after being bathed. Sick chickens running a fever will feel moist when kept in high humid areas as they feel too bad to 'water proof' their feathers through grooming oil from their oil gland onto their feathers. This allows water (think condensation) to form under the outer layers of the feathers and dampen the downy layer.

 

[Pork Pie]

They certainly have a mechanism to control humidity when they are brooding, but whether one would actually term it sweating i don't know. Interesting to see what an expert makes of it?

CT

 

[nchls school]

A couple weeks ago some of my four of my five month old silkies came down with watery eyes, sneezing, and runny poo. I treated them with Duramycin-10. I treated the whole group of six (even the two who did not have it) because they had all been together.

Since then the ones who had it are 100% better. However, the two that did not have it but were on the antibiotic now have runny poo and ear crusties. The one with the more severe signs of this felt hot to touch compared to the other...AND since Saturday, I noticed she feels damp everytime I check on her/feel her. This morning she her topknot was in sections clumped together from moisture. She is maintaining her body weight. Eating/drinking. I put them back on Duramycin-10...hoping it will work.

We live in Florida and there is a lot of humidity in the air...I have the 2 in a playpen on our covered/enclosed porch. So she is not getting wet/rained on. The other is dry and fine.

Any thoughts?

No. Chickens do not sweat; they pant like a dog to rid excess heat. I have noticed that my silkies, when too warm, dunk their head in the drinking water and the water drips down from the top knot. Both of these silkies are forever wet and dirty looking in the heat; especially the white one.
Look closely and you can see that the tops of their heads are damp. It is not just from drinking.

 

[Pork Pie]

Yeah, makes perfect sense. Actually, i switched from nipples to more traditional drinkers as i noticed that my flock love access to water - if i left a tap running, they would go bonkers, so i figured that nipples were not doing everything for them.

Thanks a lot!

CT

 

[tlouiselle]

So do you think she is doing this to cool herself down? This strange dampness is all over her body. Under her feathers. Almost a clammy feeling that our hands get. It is very strange. Her body has cooled down since the weekend.

 

[nchls school]

So do you think she is doing this to cool herself down? This strange dampness is all over her body. Under her feathers. Almost a clammy feeling that our hands get. It is very strange. Her body has cooled down since the weekend.

I can not know for sure and you definitely need to keep an eye on this. I do know that my silkies show this behaviors during hot weather.

 

[tlouiselle]

OKAY. Got it. That makes perfect sense. I just checked her and she is drier than she was this morning. Would you suggest that I bring her into the house at night? She is in a playpen on our covered/windowed florida room right now.

I am keeping her on the antibiotic. Also giving homeopathics for the symptoms and in case she has a fever. They do seem to help.

 

[theoldchick]

I usually bring in the severely ill/injured bird who can't mingle with the flock to prevent that bird from being bullied on, and provide intensive care. With birds who do not require intensive care, I'll make an area of the coop into the 'hospital' area. I section off a corner with wire (GoGo pens work great) to allow the chicken to see the other members of the flock while they recover. Be aware, however, to take time to reintroduce the chicken who has been out of sight flockmembers. Chickens have short memories when it comes to their flock mates. The absent bird will have to work it's way back into the flock as if it had never been there before.

Also remember the use of oral antibiotics can distrupt the population of 'good' bacteria. If I use antibiotics I like to use a product called BeneBact to keep the beneficial bacteria growing. This product will help prevent diarrhea and sour crop.

Keep up the good work! At times, the nursing care provided can do more than all the drugs in the world. Good luck!

 

[tlouiselle]

Thank you. She has been seperated from the flock. Now I am 100% sure she has an ear infection. Her ear is swollen this morning and has crust...

I am wondering if it is mites though? A couple of my boys have nits at the base of the feather starting atthe top of their neck going down.

Any suggestions?