16wk pullet panting hard, wings out, tail down.*nothing new to report*

[lisahaschickens]

If she's trying to lay, would it make her pant this much and hold her wings away from her body?

 

[annek]

Quote:
Listen to Sammy over me, he has a lot more experience than I do!

 

[lisahaschickens]

oh yeah, and you asked what my chickens eat.

They eat a custom, organic, soy-free broiler/grower feed that will also be their layer feed. I worked with the mill and the owner who is a livestock nutritionist to develop the feed and it should be a complete feed.

:::note:::: she pooped again while I'm writing this. Looks normal.

Anyway...

Also, I give them periodic treats of a homemade mash that includes ground beef, cooked oatmeal, whole flax seed, sunflower seeds, and yogurt. All organic and recommended by the nutritionist.

And they get to free-range for an hour or two a day on tons of green grass, clover, weeds, bugs, etc... and I'll toss them and occasional green vegetable like broccoli or carrot tops, etc.

They also get grit and I was planning on starting them on oyster shells (at the recommendation of several people) this weekend in anticipation of when they might start laying.

They get regular water. They got vitamins and electrolytes when they were younger but not anymore. I still have some if I need to give them more.

 

[lisahaschickens]

Also, she has been in the air conditioned house for about 45 minutes now... and she is still panting.... a few minutes on, a few minutes off.... but it is very rapid panting when she is doing it. She doesn't seem to want the water we are offering her, but it is her normal bedtime as it just finished getting dark outside, so she wouldn't normally eat or drink now until morning... but maybe she just laid there instead of eating and drinking for most of the day and that's causing the panitng? And she laid there because either:

a) she got overheated/heatstroke

or

b) she is trying to lay her first egg but it has been hard for her.

or

c) something else that hasn't been suggested yet.

 

[lisahaschickens]

and I tried to check her vent - it's HARD to find because she's SO fluffy! But anyway, yes, it is "pulsing" - but it seems to be in rythym with her panting... so I'm not sure that means anything.

I've also read to check her pelvic bones to see if they are wide enough yet to pass an egg... if I am feeling the right thing, they seem pretty close together to me. But, really I'm shooting in the dark here since it's all new to me...

 

[lisahaschickens]

Here are some pics:

What she looks like now (panting, wings slightly spread):

This is what she looked like when she laid down in the middle of the open grass while everyone else was grazing:

 

[lisahaschickens]

hmmmm... well it seems like most everyone has gone to bed.

If anyone is still out there -

Should I keep her in the house all night or put her back out in the coop? She is still panting.

 

[andrea98]

could she have something stuck in her throat??
my little banty looked like that last night & was trying to "swollow"
so i took it in to the bath room & opened its mouth & i could see wet food in there & i squeezed it ( not hard ) & it acted like it was gaging so i got a qtip & used it like you would a finger to scoop it out .. about 3-4 times of that & i gave a little water & put it back crop was empty when i found it & after all the scooping i checked on it & its crop was full .. they are on shavings so i wonder if it ate a piece & got it cought .. good luck with your girl

 

[andrea98]

i supose you could always oil up your finger & check & see if she has an egg stuck .. her tail looks droopy so i wonder if she is eggbound ..i really dont know as mine are only 7 weeks old

 

[lisahaschickens]

I will try to look in her throat. I haven't seen anything in there when she is panting, but I'll look closer... what if it's stuck so far down I cant' see?

What are her chances of being egdbound with her first egg?

I don't know how to check for that either... she is kinda holding her tail down when she stands...wings out, panting hard, tail down.