Hen Panting and Vomiting

[BarbaraC]

Hi !
I am new to this site and new to chickens! Forgive me if I am asking a question that might have already been asked before, but I couldn't find anything that answered my specific question.

I have a hen who is 18 weeks old. I have recently moved to France and barely speak French (I'm learning though!) so I am having a hard time getting info from the farmers co-op.
Anyway, Dolly has recently begun panting quite a bit throughout the day. It just got really hot so I assumed that was the reason but none of the other birds are panting? Also she has vomited a few times over the past few days and sometimes when she puts her head down a bit of liquid seeps out. I am not sure if I am just paranoid but I also think that her waddle isn't quite as red as normal either.
Her poop seems normal and she is eating and drinking water. I feed my girls pellets and throughout the day I give them a bit of lettuce and fruit and in the afternoon they usually get a bit of plain yogurt which is the favorite.

Any ideas? I can have my grandma call the vet for me this afternoon but they don't seem too interested in chickens.

Thanks!

 

[threehorses]

Feel her crop (the pouch at the front of their chest/neck) and see if you feel if she's holding anything in there. Open her beak and smell to see if her breath smells foul or soured. It sounds like her crop is slow and the contents are backing up.

By the way, are your birds getting any grit? She's quite young, so she'll need small grit. And yes - vomiting isn't normal at all for a chicken as they don't actually vomit per say.

 

[BarbaraC]

Thank you so much for responding! I checked her crop and I think it appears ok, but I will check again in the morning after she hasn't had any food. I'm also not 100% sure that I was doing it the right way so I will look into it more before the morning as well.

I haven't seen her vomit at all today and I re-checked my notes and it's been 4 days since I last noted her spiting up liquid. However she is still panting. Mostly during the day. It's been really hot here over the past few days, so I was wondering if that had anything to do with it? I am adding more shade to their area to help with the heat and I always have plenty of water around for them.

Again, thank you for responding !
I have only had my chickens for a couple of months but I love them dearly!

 

[threehorses]

Yes, they'll pant, hold their wings up, kind of squat, and generally look miserable in the heat.

If you have plants around her area, you can hose the plants down and wet the ground beneath them and that helps 'air condition' the area.

Make sure she has a place that stays shaded all throughout the day, no sun on it; it keeps the spot cooler that way. You could even mist that area or spritz the water hose onto your shade there. And of course lots of water.

I'm glad she hasn't done the vomiting thing in a few days. You could give her a two-time dose of probiotics and that might help any future problems.