mouthbreathing birdie

[birdali]

I just lost Jackson my white silky rooster while away camping. The ONLY thing I noticed about him before I left for 2 days was that he wasn't keeping his feathers very clean. They were starting to turn yellowish. My husband said he saw him on the ground instead of roosting with the hens the first night I was gone. The very next day he was dead. I can't believe it! I happened so fast. Now one of my hens is mouth breathing, she's not cleaning her feathers and she has poop clumped all over her bottom. She's still eating and drinking well. Please help.

 

[Judy]

Are they too hot? It's hard to keep a small coop cool in hot weather -- if it's hot where you are and their coop is small -- because they warm it with their body heat. When they are too hot they will pant with their mouths open and hold their wings slightly away from their body. 100 degrees is considered lethal for a chicken.

 

[birdali]

Not hot. We're around 70 degrees. She still has a poopy butt. She also sneezes or coughs.