Possibly panting????

[Jasmine1998]

One of my BO chicks is doing something strange. They were born on 3/27. After she lays down, whenever she lifts her head up or first stands up she has her mouth open, sometimes she opens it really wide. I don't know if she is panting or what she is doing. She does not seem to be breathing heavy & she is eating, sleeping & pooping normally. Any suggestions as to what she is doing & should I be concerned. None of the other chicks are doing this.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Chickens pant when they are too hot. If none of the others are doing it maybe she is just hot natured. I put a small box in the brooder for shade for the ones that seem more suceptible to the heat. Try that, I hope it turns out okay for you!

 

[Jasmine1998]

Thanks Cindiloo. They are in an outside brooder (actually the brooder is inside of my horse trailer) & the temp in there dropped to 83 last night & she was not panting this morning at all. They all actually seem to hate the 95 temp (I know that is supposed to be the rule of thumb to start out with). They seem most comfortable in the 85 temp range. If it gets raised to 95 they are heading for the edges of the tank. Is this normal or ok for them to be in 85 temp at their age....6 days old?? I had a question about one of the chicks & the lady from the hatchery gave me what for when I told her the temp they were in.

 

[underground chickenman]

The 95 degree rule (and 5 degrees cooler each week) is for the warmest part of the brooder. The entire brooder should not be 95 degrees. The brooder needs to be big enough that there is enough room for all of the chicks in the 95 degree area and room for all of them to move to a cooler location if desired. I suspect she was just too hot. Keep an eye out for more trouble, but if she wasn't panting in the cooler temp and she is otherwise acting normally, I'd bet on the heat.

UGCM