Need help! One of my hens is breathing heavily and seams very exhausted, she isn’t eating or drinking.

[KerryStavracos11]

I would try soaking her legs in slightly cool water, not cold. If you have SaveAChick, NutriDrench, Pedialyte, or Gotorade electrolytes, I would offer some to her. Keep her cool. I hope that she makes it.

Alright, I’ll soak her legs and try giving her some electrolytes. Thank you!

 

[Weeg]

Try running fans in your chicken coop if possible, to help with the heat. And make sure the shade stays on to prevent any more of this situation. You can also buy cheep watermelon from the store and put that in the coop, it really helps keep them cool! make sure you have plenty of cool ate available to! Good luck with your then! Avery

 

[KerryStavracos11]

Try running fans in your chicken coop if possible, to help with the heat. And make sure the shade stays on to prevent any more of this situation. You can also buy cheep watermelon from the store and put that in the coop, it really helps keep them cool! make sure you have plenty of cool ate available to! Good luck with your then! Avery

Thanks! She’s already doing much better, not panting and her breathing is less heavy. I gave her some water to keep her hydrated but for now she’s getting lots of sleep!

 

[KerryStavracos11]

Thanks! She’s already doing much better, not panting and her breathing is less heavy. I gave her some water to keep her hydrated but for now she’s getting lots of sleep!

And I’ll look into getting some fans for the coops, usually they do fine with the shade and some watermelon but in case the shade comes down again I’ll look into some back up measures for them.

 

[Weeg]

Good! Try and keep a fan running for her while she's sleeping, fans in the coop may not be necessary but is a good idea for back up! How hot is it where you are?

 

[bobhoke]

I would try soaking her legs in slightly cool water, not cold. If you have SaveAChick, NutriDrench, Pedialyte, or Gotorade electrolytes, I would offer some to her. Keep her cool. I hope that she makes it.

Tell us something about her. What breed, how old, color, etc. Also need to know how hot it was and perhaps you know how long she was exposed. I would get a bucket or air temp water maybe a little cooler and submerge her (-) her head in the water to soak her. This will bring her temp down and keep her out of the sun. Once one is a heat casualty, you are always more susceptible to it in the future and it will progress to heat stroke thus death. She seems to be a pet and perhaps older. I'd submerge her for sure and the moisture will keep her cool for awhile. Most birds operation temperature is 100+ degrees (perhaps more like 106), so its gotta get pretty hot. Meat birds will not tolerate that heat though and I ASSume she's not a cornish, nor freedom ranger like bird. They'll die quickly in heat, at least the cornish will. Sure their core is 106, but don't contribute to that. The normal chicken gives off indicators like walking around in the shade with their wings away from their bodies etc. Provide a cool environment to avoid these situations. Good luck.

 

[KerryStavracos11]

Good! Try and keep a fan running for her while she's sleeping, fans in the coop may not be necessary but is a good idea for back up! How hot is it where you are?

Usually in the summer it’s around 80-90, it rarely reaches the high 90’s and they handle it pretty well. I usually have a mister/hose running cold water to them to keep them cool but in some cases (like this one) it isn’t enough to keep them cool.

 

[KerryStavracos11]

Tell us something about her. What breed, how old, color, etc. Also need to know how hot it was and perhaps you know how long she was exposed. I would get a bucket or air temp water maybe a little cooler and submerge her (-) her head in the water to soak her. This will bring her temp down and keep her out of the sun. Once one is a heat casualty, you are always more susceptible to it in the future and it will progress to heat stroke thus death. She seems to be a pet and perhaps older. I'd submerge her for sure and the moisture will keep her cool for awhile. Most birds operation temperature is 100+ degrees (perhaps more like 106), so its gotta get pretty hot. Meat birds will not tolerate that heat though and I ASSume she's not a cornish, nor freedom ranger like bird. They'll die quickly in heat, at least the cornish will. Sure their core is 106, but don't contribute to that. The normal chicken gives off indicators like walking around in the shade with their wings away from their bodies etc. Provide a cool environment to avoid these situations. Good luck.

I’m not sure of the breed, to give some back story I volunteer at a farm and the shade came down on the chickens run. It was around high 90’s but because of the lack of shade the sun was pounding on her. They had fresh water and food it was just the fact that the shade came down. I took her home with me to make sure she was alright, she’s doing much better and is at room temperature with a fan beside her. She still isn’t drinking or eating so I’ve been syringing water into her mouth and a food/water mixture. I think she’ll be alright though! She isn’t active yet but I think she’s just tired. (I moved her fan to get a picture)

 

[Weeg]

defiantly bath her in the cool water, and try and give her some sugary water to give her a boost. Keep her cool with the water and the fan. She is in good hands! Avery

 

[bobhoke]

I definitely could know a lot more about birds and have more experience, but that bird does not look well at all. Bird don't do that. She needs to be able to react if her legs work, just simply put behave like a chicken regardless. She looks like she has zero SA. Not good. She needs to respond - quickly, otherwise she will continue to suffer. Drop and sustain her body temp if you really believe that heat caused this. Just my opinion off the tidbit of info. GL!