Emu breathing with mouth open

[walkingcrow3]

I am new to the emu world. We just brought ours home 5 days ago. We purchased a pair from our friend and due to other circumstances he was boarding one that is about 16 months old. I live in Maryland and the days have not been overly hot but rather pleasant. So the 16 months old keeps breathing with its mouth open off and on since we brought them home. When it lays down it reminds me a little bit like gape neck in chickens. I have a lot of chickens. the 16 mo. old is the most skittish out of the three emus too but I have checked it over well enough to know that the breathing is the only symptom and there is no rattling, discharge or anything like that. I am almost thinking that it is just totally stressed out after being one location for so long and then being uprooted and hauled more than two hours to its new home(my farm). The two adults are settling in nicely and do not have any mouths open while breathing at all. They are all drinking and eating normally but the 16 mo. old seems to drink and eat more than the other two do.
If anyone could provide me with suggestions or any advice would be grateful. Thank you.

Shannon

 

[ES Emus]

It could very well be stress, what part of Maryland are you located?

 

[walkingcrow3]

It could very well be stress, what part of Maryland are you located?

we are about five minutes from the Pa line in the north eastern part of maryland. it has been nice outside no hot days in the past week. the one adult actually scaled the fence a few hours after brought the three home. so we set the next day to add some height to our fence. anyway it has only been a few days and i see no other signs or symptoms no injuries neither. they follow me at feeding time and let me pet them. We can always ask our friend whom we got the emus from if he ever had this happen. i feel more inclined to think it is. stress.

 

[ES Emus]

sounds good, we are located about an hour south of Salisbury, MD...

 

[birdeo]

electrolytes in the water would help...Gatorade if nothing else, assuming it is stress related and sounds like it is.