Gaping mouth in the heat....

[S Curry]

Hi folks! Some of my chickens (the barred rocks especially) gape like they can't breathe well when it gets hot. They had a respiratory illness a month ago which cleared up immediately after I injected Tylan 50 for 5 days, and since the gaping was one of the symptoms of the illness, I'm hoping gaping in the heat (95 degrees) is normal, and not illness related.
Thanks for any help!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

You are right, it's just the heat. Chickens pant like dogs to help cool themselves.

 

[S Curry]

Thanks!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Your welcome! And you may notice their wings spread a little way from their bodies. This serves the same purpose.

 

[Fuzzbuttfarm]

I had a minor panic when I saw my two buffs doing this yesterday, and then I wondered if they weren't just panting like a dog would in the heat. It was about 94 F. in my yard yesterday, but there was a breeze. They quit doing that when the sun went down.

One of them poofed up like my cats do when they want to cool down and get more air next to the skin, too.