Do they do this due to the heat?

[Phaedra Geiermann]

I am giving them some chilled water, and see them doing this (plus mouth opening), is this because they feel hot?
Thanks!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes. It allows hot air to get away from the body

 

[theoldchick]

Yes, ice water, cold watermelon or cantaloupe and shade really helps. They enjoy misting fans to but they can create lots of mud.

 

[aart]

Better than cold food....ice blocks and electrolytes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

 

[cherrynberry]

Thank you, they were hatched last autumn, so this is their first summer, also my first early summer with hens

Yep! It’s totally normal.

 

[Chuckie chicken]

Interestingly, I see mine do it most often in the evening after it's cooled off already. They must notice that their body temp is a lot higher than the air. Like @3KillerBs , mine like to pick a nice shady spot and dig in.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Yes. It allows hot air to get away from the body

Thank you, they were hatched last autumn, so this is their first summer, also my first early summer with hens

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Yes, ice water, cold watermelon or cantaloupe and shade really helps. They enjoy misting fans to but they can create lots of mud.

Thanks, we bought a big watermelon + a cantaloupe again today, sometimes my husband and me will laugh at each other: We shop meats for dogs and cats, veggies and fruits for hens

 

[Chuckie chicken]

Mine do it too. They have sweaty pits!

 

[3KillerBs]

That photo is a perfect illustration of a hot chicken.

Shade, plenty of water, electrolytes, access to ground where they can dig down to a cooler layer, and good airflow will help.

Just like people, chickens facing sudden heat seem to have more trouble than chickens that have acclimated to heat at the same temperatures. I read here about chickens panting and holding their wings out at 85F (29C), where that would be a cool summer day for my chickens, who are used to 90-95F (32-35C) as their normal temperatures.

My chickens spend most of their summer afternoons dug into pits in the shady sections of the run.