panting?

[littlekit]

What does it mean when they have their beaks open? Looks like maybe they are hot? This has been happening just one or two of them, at night in their coop, which is the tack room of my barn with no run. They free range during the day and the coop door is kept open all day. I close them up at night.
Coop is about 75 degrees this evening, but it's large, under trees, and has a loft so lots of air. As temps are sure to climb, I am concerned about frying my birds.
Should I open the windows at night and put wire on the outside? is this the common practice in the summer months?:
I honestly do not know what the most comfortable temp is for chickens, and I thought they liked it warm.
Thank you!

 

[joedie]

They do pant when hot. I leave my windows open winter and summer and do have hardware cloth covering the windows.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I would go ahead and cover the windows with wire so they can be opened during summer, but now it shouldn't be too hot. Is there an ammonia smell in the coop? Are they any vents or is it a sealed room?

 

[littlekit]

It is a sealed room, we leave the big door open during the day only now. We have only had chickens during the winter months and since they were young we often had a heat lamp.
Of course we do not have the heat lamp now.
No ammonia smell. I clean all poops every morning, so it is clean clean clean. Wood chips on the floor. DLM.

So open mouths mean hot... or stuffy?

Thank you!

 

[joedie]

They may need more ventilation. The one door oen may not cut it.

 

[littlekit]

Okay, I'm going to get some hardware cloth and a staple gun.
Only one of the windows opens, so I may need to take the East and South windows out for the summer.
Wind comes from the North and West.
Creating "draft-free ventilation" is tough.

Thank you!