Pullets jumping in my lap then breathing with beak open

[StuporMan]

My pullets have recently gotten to come out of their coop and roam around the run (excited for that!) However two pullets in particular have been acting a little oddly. They both jump in my lap to get pet and cuddled, but I've noticed that they may start breathing with their mouths open, or at least hang their beaks open on occasion.

Their crops seem fine, and there's been no other signs of respiratory issues, I do notice that they only tend to do this if they're on my lap and especially if the pekin ducks are near my feet. I have a foldable lounge chair and a thick towel I use to let them sleep on me, could this be a sign of stress, heat exhaustion (it's starting to get to the usual summertime heat), or maybe something else? Any thoughts are appreciated

 

[6chicksSonoma]

My hens were doing the same thing last summer. A friend suggested I add electrolytes to their water to prevent heat exhaustion which I did immediately. Helped a lot!

 

[StuporMan]

My hens were doing the same thing last summer. A friend suggested I add electrolytes to their water to prevent heat exhaustion which I did immediately. Helped a lot!

Thank you, I'll be sure to do that first thing tomorrow morning, I have a bunch of chik saver stashed away just in case of things like this!

 

[aart]

I have a bunch of chik saver stashed away just in case of things like this!

Don't over do the EL, always have plain waster available too.
A little bit of panting is OK.
Holding wings out is the next step of trying to shed heat.


Here's some small EL batch ratios, and other heat tips.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/