All of a sudden, chickens mouths open today

[Goldenlaced_keeper]

Hey guys. Thanks for always being there to answer my questions when they arise. I have 5 8 week old chickens 2 welsummer pullets, 1 barred rock pullet and 2 golden laced straight run. I believe 1 pullet 1 Cockrell. (Two totally different head feathers). Well they are in pretty good 2 level coop and run. They go to sleep up top at 830 every night and come out in the morning like clockwork. I still have them on starter pellets, 18% protein as majority of there diet. I give them broccoli and assorted salad bags as a treat. Along with cooked rice as well as every now and then store bought nightcrawlers. Yesterday they ate broccoli pellet salad and a couple pieces of cut up worm. Today was 83 out. I noticed all of them periodically opening there beaks like they were mouth breathing today. I figured they were hot so I gave them a frozen cold pack to stand on as well as close to frozen broccoli to cool them down. Well it's now much cooler out in the evening and they are still doing it. I doesn't seem like panting. They are acting normal begging for food jumping around. I read this could be so many things like brop issues. And infection. What are your thoughts.

 

[AidKD]

I'd do a thourough once over on them. Check their crops, poop, wattles and comb, as well as checking for lice and mites. Let us know what you find out then.

 

[MROO]

Hey guys. Thanks for always being there to answer my questions when they arise. I have 5 8 week old chickens 2 welsummer pullets, 1 barred rock pullet and 2 golden laced straight run. I believe 1 pullet 1 Cockrell. (Two totally different head feathers). Well they are in pretty good 2 level coop and run. They go to sleep up top at 830 every night and come out in the morning like clockwork. I still have them on starter pellets, 18% protein as majority of there diet. I give them broccoli and assorted salad bags as a treat. Along with cooked rice as well as every now and then store bought nightcrawlers. Yesterday they ate broccoli pellet salad and a couple pieces of cut up worm. Today was 83 out. I noticed all of them periodically opening there beaks like they were mouth breathing today. I figured they were hot so I gave them a frozen cold pack to stand on as well as close to frozen broccoli to cool them down. Well it's now much cooler out in the evening and they are still doing it. I doesn't seem like panting. They are acting normal begging for food jumping around. I read this could be so many things like brop issues. And infection. What are your thoughts.

X2 on the thorough going-over - and add some electrolytes to their water while you figure things out.
Make sure they have lots of water - and that it's clean. Chickens go through a lot more water than people realize, especially when the weather starts to warm up. You're on the right track adding greens to their diet. That's a good way to increase their fluid intake. Try a melon or some other fresh fruit or veggies - NO citrus. Frozen berries are a good choice, too. I keep applesauce in the fridge for my littles on hotter days. It's easy for them to eat and they can't get enough of the stuff!

 

[Goldenlaced_keeper]

Poops normal. Not sure how to check a crop. Wattles not developed yet. They seem to be doing it less and less. I will add electrolytes now. And ice cubes to water. Will see in the morning care to try to sex my polish. As you can see one has a perfect back swept comb where the other is totally rocked out even growing forward like he was electrocuted. My understanding is that would be a Cockrell and the neat back swept is pullet?

 

[AidKD]

Poops normal. Not sure how to check a crop. Wattles not developed yet. They seem to be doing it less and less. I will add electrolytes now. And ice cubes to water. Will see in the morning care to try to sex my polish. As you can see one has a perfect back swept comb where the other is totally rocked out even growing forward like he was electrocuted. My understanding is that would be a Cockrell and the neat back swept is pullet?

I'm not good as determining the breed on those types of chickens, sorry! Just kinda press around on their crops to check and take note of how they feel, then let us know.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not give them ice cold water, nor let them stand on frozen cold packs or broccoli. Cool shaded water is good, and you can put a couple of shallow flat pans of shaded water around the coop or run, where they are active during the day. They love to stand in those and cool their legs as well as drink. Are they opening their beaks and gagging, or adjusting their crops? Do you have granite poultry grit out for them inna separate container than food, to help the gizzard grind up food other than chick crumbles? They don’t need anything in addition to their chick crumbles. I prefer 20% protein, but 18% is okay. The rice is all carbs, no vitamins or minerals, low protein, and will have a tendency to make them fat. Fat hens can get egg bound and have other issues such as fatty liver down the road. So if you give it at all, just very limited, and always cooked rice.

I am not that great predicting cockerels in the polish, but they both look possibly like cockerels to me. The saddle feathers look a bit pointy.

 

[Goldenlaced_keeper]

So they stopped mouth breathing when it really cooled off I hope they don't do it tommorrow if it's hot. They eat grit every day I give them a little with the pellet. And they seemed to really like the ice pack I caught them all standing on it to cool there feet. However I will give them a bowl to stand in for there feet of water instead. I felt the crop and it just feels like a soft sack on there chest. And the rice was cooked I read that no uncooked rice. I just like to give variety to them. But it's easily 85 percent pellet and 10 percent greens.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

So they stopped mouth breathing when it really cooled off I hope they don't do it tommorrow if it's hot. They eat grit every day I give them a little with the pellet. And they seemed to really like the ice pack I caught them all standing on it to cool there feet. However I will give them a bowl to stand in for there feet of water instead. I felt the crop and it just feels like a soft sack on there chest. And the rice was cooked I read that no uncooked rice. I just like to give variety to them. But it's easily 85 percent pellet and 10 percent greens.

Chickens will pant everytime it’s hot! That’s one of their cooling mechanisms like dogs. You don’t need to worry unless they start getting listless and lame which means they overheated. I lived where it got to 110+, the chickens pretty much panted all the time, as long as they have cool deep shade and water they should be alright! I never lost a chicken due to overheating. I like to spray the ground with water in the shade to cool them off too, they like to dust bathe in the cool wet dirt to cool off.