chick looks like she is gagging when hot.

[lucky13n3]

Ok friends another question for you all. I have a one month old splash orpy that whenever she gets to warm out side she starts to make this weird gagging motion. Or that's what it looks like. It seems to get better when I move her into the shade and she cools down. She also seems to get hot very quickly. Any ideas?

 

[Twistedfeather]

If I have any idea of what you're talking about than your thinking of it panting. It's pretty normal for a chicken to do that but it's when it's over-doing it than that's when you need to worry. Chickens have no sweat glands and either pant to try to cool themselves or dust bathe.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Chickens don't handle heat very well and some are worse then others. I have a big Wyandotte that overheats easily and will gasp and pant excessively. In hot weather I make sure she has several ways to help herself cool down. They have full shade under the barn or course and I make puddles where she can wet her feet. I also have a fan blowing over this area so she can be in the breeze and the water at the same time. I have fans in both coops on timers so she doesn't have to sit in a hot coop at night. This past summer during a heat wave she was still having a very hard time in the worst of it so I finally bought a portable swamp cooler for my barn. Best money I ever spent, they all love it but her especially! Sit's right in front of it on hot days and gets through the heat much better.

 

[Sarevan]

She sounds like the way my Buff Orpingtons acted when we had 100+ heat this summer. Here is what I did for my chickens.

Made wet spots, that they used to dust bathe, they did that more in heat. They also scratched these spots down to make themselves cool holes.

Set out a shallow pan, was a new oil change pan with cover removed never used for motor oil. I picked this because the plastic was a lot heavier to take chicken abuse. Filled it with water so they could cool feet and a couple liked to squat in it to cool bellies.

Froze gallon plastic jugs and placed them where they could lay next to them.

Went out and sprayed around coop and run to cool the ground around them, some played in the spray others ran from the water. Had a spray gun that leaked no matter how much I tightened it. I put that over a part of run so the leak would wet the ground under it, making a cool puddle. They would scratch area and lounge near puddle to keep cool.

Changed drinking water a couple times or more a day, they liked the cold water and would gather to drink.

I live in high desert area, so hydration is important when it is very hot. I added electrolytes and vitamins to one waterer and probiotics to another. They would not eat much in heat but the couple hours before sunset they pigged out. That was the time of day I would give them fresh cut greens, or stuff from garden.
Good luck with your chickens!