help; silkie with beak open

[JFG]

I have been acclimating a silkie to an outdoor wire cage. This morning I let her wander around the yard., She got a few earthworms, some sunflower seeds and then I put her in the cage with a grape and 3 slices of zucchinni. A bit later, I looked out the window and saw her jump like she had been bitten by something. i went out and her eyes were half closed and she ws sitting. I picked her up; her beak was open, breathing normally. She did not make much of a fuss and I brought her to her inside cage. She has been relatively still, moving a bit and her beak remains open. Does anyone have any idea what could have happend to her? A friend with chickens suggested crop impaction. DOes that happen suddenely? She was eating plants in the yard. Could it be a toxin? Thanks for your comments.

 

[chicmom]

Very strange....could she have been stung by a bee in the mouth? Can you see anything inside her mouth that is red or irritated? I'm really at a loss......

 

[LindseyM12]

maybe stressed or hot?

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
That is my thought as well.

 

[elmo]

Chickens pant (just like dogs do) when they're hot. Sometimes I bring our feather footed girls indoors to help them cool off a bit because they seem to mind the heat more than my other breeds. Often they'll continue to pant for some time after I bring them indoors. It takes a while for body temperature to go back down.

 

[HorseFeathers]

If it *is* heat, make sure to give them plenty of fresh water... they dehydrate easily in hot weather. I think that's your best guess.

Also, from your other post it sounds like this chicken is alone? I'd get her a friend. They can die without company.

 

[JFG]

She is inside and still gasping when I touch her neck and holding her mouth open. I can't feel any obvious wounds. Her mouth is its usual color and I don't see any stings. She can breath, but not well. It is hot and humid, but not more so than she is used to. In fact, if anything, today it is cooler and not as sunny as usual.

She is holding her mouth open all the time and breathing erratically. She won't extend her neck- she is hunched over all the time. She is inside and I'm pretty sure it isn't heat.

 

[elmo]

Yeah, that doesn't sound like heat to me, either. When my chickens pant, their breath is rapid, just like when a dog pants.

Is it possible for you to consult a chicken vet?

 

[BeccaB00]

Maybe a bee? You say she jumped as if she was bitten by somthing. Chickens will catch and eat bees, maybe she got stung?

 

[joe17]

I had a silkie chicks that held its mouth open the whole time and it looked like she was throwing up foam. I think she just ate to much egg. I hope yours is okay!