Chicken drooling and standing like a flamingo?

[frostic]

Hey guys, its been a while since i been on. So my RIR's are doing great and getting huge. Except one is concerning me. 2 of them are ok but one of them has been drooling once in a while that smells like vomit. Her crop is empty when I checked her she wont drink water like the other chickens but she's eating food fine. normal poop, but she's been holding her leg up standing like a flamingo a lot but don't seem to have injured feet. she walks normal but seems she's having heat stroke maybe? I don't know. when I took her in I ran a little water over her feathers she started acting normal again. It was 92 degrees today and super hot. I notice that she also don't seem to nest down in the day like the other 2 RIR's I got. they dig deep holes, burry themself with dirt and lay there. she don't do what they do. she walks around and just never stops moving for long. well I hope someone knows why she is acting odd and "drooling" I got a new hose nozzle maybe i should set it to mist setting and leave it on twards the end of the day? the mister is super fine mist. maybe that would help? I'm not going to do anything till I know more but anyone got advice?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old is she?
Can you take her to the vet?

The drooling and smelling like vomit sounds like sour crop.
If she is not drinking, then likely she is overheating.

I would get her hydrated, if you have electrolytes those would be good. She need to get drinking before she eats anything.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[frostic]

How old is she?
Can you take her to the vet?

The drooling and smelling like vomit sounds like sour crop.
If she is not drinking, then likely she is overheating.

I would get her hydrated, if you have electrolytes those would be good. She need to get drinking before she eats anything.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

She is 4 and a half months old. I'll check her in the morning.

 

[frostic]

So My RIR is acting normal again. I'm guessing it was heat stroke or something. I put a misting head on my hose and left it in the run area and she seems ok now. after adding the mister they all seem to be drinking water again. My coop stays about 85 degrees in a 90 degree day but they won't go in it untill night. Is there any good methods to keeping them cool without wasting so much water using a mister? if someone knows a link to a list of things i can do to keep them cool in the california heat please help me find one thankyou

 

[Kathy Golla]

I posted on this thread today. I live in the Bay Area inland..hot summers.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-can-you-keep-chickens-cool-in-summer-heat.1252441/

 

[frostic]

I posted on this thread today. I live in the Bay Area inland..hot summers.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-can-you-keep-chickens-cool-in-summer-heat.1252441/

awesome! thankyou so much.

 

[Kathy Golla]

That hen might be lower in the pecking order or more heat intolerant. Try to figure out what she likes to do to keep cool.

 

[Shezadandy]

If you happen to feed your chickens scratch grains (corn, sunflower seeds etc.)- that can add to the heat stress problem, so I would discontinue that.

Suggestions:

Watermelons etc (lots of mentions all over the place) are good. If your ground is kinda packed in their run, break it up in a few spots with the shovel in an especially shady spot so there's another pit or two for her to explore. Moisten down their favorite pits overnight.

Provide more shade. Buy a tarp or other shade cloth to hang on the south and west chicken run fence (I'm assuming it's a run, not freerange). Leave about 2 feet at the bottom clear so air still runs through at chicken level- don't block any breeze they might be getting.

Remember that even if they have overhead shade - there are hot times of day where that overhead shade isn't casting its shadow in the run (thus the tarp/shade cloth on south and west fences).

If it's feasible, provide a fan to move air.

Get a water heater drip pan like this one- fill it with water and place in the shade. It's shallow enough that it's an easy step in- the smart ones will figure out that this helps cool them down. =)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-26-in-I-D-Plastic-Drain-Pan-11400/206807348

 

[frostic]

If you happen to feed your chickens scratch grains (corn, sunflower seeds etc.)- that can add to the heat stress problem, so I would discontinue that.

Suggestions:

Watermelons etc (lots of mentions all over the place) are good. If your ground is kinda packed in their run, break it up in a few spots with the shovel in an especially shady spot so there's another pit or two for her to explore. Moisten down their favorite pits overnight.

Provide more shade. Buy a tarp or other shade cloth to hang on the south and west chicken run fence (I'm assuming it's a run, not freerange). Leave about 2 feet at the bottom clear so air still runs through at chicken level- don't block any breeze they might be getting.

Remember that even if they have overhead shade - there are hot times of day where that overhead shade isn't casting its shadow in the run (thus the tarp/shade cloth on south and west fences).

If it's feasible, provide a fan to move air.

Get a water heater drip pan like this one- fill it with water and place in the shade. It's shallow enough that it's an easy step in- the smart ones will figure out that this helps cool them down. =)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-26-in-I-D-Plastic-Drain-Pan-11400/206807348

So you are right about the feed. I give them corn and scratch daily, my chickens wont eat anything else. i have given them watermelon, tomatoes, lettus, grass, different types of feed, steamed carrots chopped into a mush(no salt or butter) grapes, raisons and just about every veggie known to man and they wont eat none of it. only thing i can get them to eat is corn and rocks... yes Its odd seeing your chickens eat rocks but i know its so they can digest their food. I also noticed they wont eat their food unless it is in 1 area of the coop. i guess my chickens are picky peckers or mentally unstable lol... I tried ice water but they wont drink it. I* have had to resort to using the misting head on my hose to shower them in the mid day. we get lots of wind comming down the mountain but it brings hot air, not cooled air sadly here in lake elsinore its super hot. but for 3 days its been cool so i didnt have to do anything to cool them....


South side of my coop is shaded as its attached to a 6 foot tall fence. west side is shaded by a 8 foot tall concrete wall 3 feet away from the coop( a place for me to walk around the coop/run. its taller than my coop. the run stays shaded all day long how it is positioned (south to north). also im on the east side of a mountain so it gets shade all day long as you can see in the images.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I give them corn and scratch daily, my chickens wont eat anything else.

only thing i can get them to eat is corn and rocks... yes Its odd seeing your chickens eat rocks but i know its so they can digest their food. I also noticed they wont eat their food unless it is in 1 area of the coop

Do you put their feed in a feeder?
What type of feed do you use?

The pullet that was drooling, is she better - did her crop empty by morning?