Acting 'hot' on the roost?

[kurui]

Should I be worried about a hen roosting with her wings away from her body as if she's hot? Picture is from my spy camera.




I may be being paranoid because I've recently had to deal with a case of slow crop but the hen on the right was walking around with her beak open a lot today- it was relatively hot (27C) but I gave them plenty of water including a low tub to paddle in, and it's definitely cool now...

 

[Silkieworld]

Hi
She might just still have some left over heat from the day in her. I wouldn't worry unless it gets worse. Maybe add some chicken supplements that you could add to there water. Can you check out my new thread please? I have a sick chick!! Hope all our chickens feel better

 

[justplainbatty]

Should I be worried about a hen roosting with her wings away from her body as if she's hot? Picture is from my spy camera.




I may be being paranoid because I've recently had to deal with a case of slow crop but the hen on the right was walking around with her beak open a lot today- it was relatively hot (27C) but I gave them plenty of water including a low tub to paddle in, and it's definitely cool now...

Can't tell breed from pic. Some do poorly in heat compared to others. She is probably still a bit too warm this evening. Is there a breeze in your coop or is it still?

 

[kurui]

Thanks Silkyworld, all the best to yours-- I've never raised chicks that young but I hope someone here can help you!

She (and the other two to her left) are ISA brown- the other three are sussex crosses. I'm in Spain, so it's 1.20AM here and she's standing like that.
The coop is part of the old spanish house, it's solid with a wooden door. There are ventilation holes but I doubt there's much of a breeze... It can't be very hot in there though, the ambient temperature is only 15C right now.




I can certainly hack at the door a bit tomorrow (maybe replace some panels with hardware cloth 'windows'?) to give them a little more air circulation if you think that will help?

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks Silkyworld, all the best to yours-- I've never raised chicks that young but I hope someone here can help you!

She (and the other two to her left) are ISA brown- the other three are sussex crosses. I'm in Spain, so it's 1.20AM here and she's standing like that.
The coop is part of the old spanish house, it's solid with a wooden door. There are ventilation holes but I doubt there's much of a breeze... It can't be very hot in there though, the ambient temperature is only 15C right now.




I can certainly hack at the door a bit tomorrow (maybe replace some panels with hardware cloth 'windows'?) to give them a little more air circulation if you think that will help?

I do think ventilation will help in a number of ways. your current night temps are not cold for a chicken. If they have been through winter, they have extra down to shed as it gets warmer. You could also install a small fan for air circulation. I do that for my birds in summer for those still, hot, sticky nights.

 

[kurui]

Thanks! Is there anything other than heat that will make a chicken act like this? She's doing the same thing again tonight- I just shut them up and read the thermometer, it's 21C/70F in there- surely that's not too hot for them? They were acting hot (wings away from body, beak open, some panting) during the day but it was about 31C/88F at it's hottest so that's understandable to me, and I had some idea what to do to relieve it for them- lots of clean fresh water to drink and paddle in, plenty of shade to shelter under etc. What I don't get is why she does it at night in the coop when just moments before, she was fine outside. my other ISAs aren't displaying the same behaviour, can it be some kind of illness/reaction to something in the coop? I did replace the pine shavings on the bottom recently from a new bag, I can't think of anything else that's different apart from the weather.

I haven't been able to get hold of a fan just yet, but I added some more ventilation holes- I asked, but I don't have permission to hack it apart unfortunately. I might see if I can remove the door, store it somewhere so I can put it back later... and use some hardware cloth on a frame instead...?

 

[MrsBrooke]

Anything you can do to move the air around in there would help. Stagnant air is hot as well as a breeding ground for disease. Fans, five gal buckets of ice water, windows, anything will help!

I'm not sure about any medical causes for it, but if you were in a 70 degree room with a down comforter wrapped around you 24/7, I imagine you'd be lifting your wings as well.

MrsB

 

[kurui]

Anything you can do to move the air around in there would help. Stagnant air is hot as well as a breeding ground for disease. Fans, five gal buckets of ice water, windows, anything will help!

I'm not sure about any medical causes for it, but if you were in a 70 degree room with a down comforter wrapped around you 24/7, I imagine you'd be lifting your wings as well.

MrsB

Thanks! I'm really new to owning chickens (the three older are the remainder of the 4 I bought in early Nov at POL, and the three younger are my babies I raised from 2wks old, so I often just don't know what normal looks like! I'll try getting a bucket of ice water in there- we're moving to the new house soon and the new coop will be purpose-built- and I'll make sure there's plenty of ventilation! So really I'm just looking for a short-term solution.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Thanks! I'm really new to owning chickens (the three older are the remainder of the 4 I bought in early Nov at POL, and the three younger are my babies I raised from 2wks old, so I often just don't know what normal looks like! I'll try getting a bucket of ice water in there- we're moving to the new house soon and the new coop will be purpose-built- and I'll make sure there's plenty of ventilation! So really I'm just looking for a short-term solution.

I'd put a fan and some cold buckets of water in there for them to hang out near.

Out of an abundance of caution, I would also do a thorough check of the hen doing the wing thing.

Do you see any external parasites around her vent or her ears? How are her poops (if she's hot, they may be white and runny - chickens cool themselves by drinking a lot and passing the water)? How does her abdomen feel - rock hard, spongy and "full," or normal? When you listen to her breathe, do you hear any wheezing or respiratory distress? Check under her wings for any injuries - just to be safe.

Upon closer inspection, it appears a few of your birds are "dropping" their wings as they roost... Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but I feel like this is a ventilation/heat issue. Chickens generate A LOT of heat and moisture (in their breath), and an enclosed, still-air coop can get really, really warm and muggy. Ventilation is HUGE!

A fan would help greatly!

MrsB

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks! Is there anything other than heat that will make a chicken act like this? She's doing the same thing again tonight- I just shut them up and read the thermometer, it's 21C/70F in there- surely that's not too hot for them? They were acting hot (wings away from body, beak open, some panting) during the day but it was about 31C/88F at it's hottest so that's understandable to me, and I had some idea what to do to relieve it for them- lots of clean fresh water to drink and paddle in, plenty of shade to shelter under etc. What I don't get is why she does it at night in the coop when just moments before, she was fine outside. my other ISAs aren't displaying the same behaviour, can it be some kind of illness/reaction to something in the coop? I did replace the pine shavings on the bottom recently from a new bag, I can't think of anything else that's different apart from the weather.

I haven't been able to get hold of a fan just yet, but I added some more ventilation holes- I asked, but I don't have permission to hack it apart unfortunately. I might see if I can remove the door, store it somewhere so I can put it back later... and use some hardware cloth on a frame instead...?

I agree with the suggestionsof all the posters after me. She just is not tolerating the heat right now. I know the hatcheries list Isa's as very hardy but, when I had them, they didn't seem to tolerate summer very well at all past 80*! My black sex links did better, you would think the black feathers would be worse. Once they were gone, I did not reorder them for that reason. It's good that you changed out the bedding, ammonia really gets to them. By the time we can smell it, it is already damaging their air systems. A hardware cloth door right now seems like a good option for your girls too.