Single hen panting - over heated, stressed, or something worse?

[Fallie]

My queen bee, Queenie, has been panting recently. It's gotten a bit hotter, mostly humid, but neither of my other hens are panting - at all. They all get lots of water spots, and several frozen bananas and frozen corn throughout the day. They free range and have a big yard to have dust bathes and find shelter in. Queenie is still eating, clucking, bossing everyone about - but shes the only hen who HASN'T gone broody. Instead, she angrily hides or runs out from undisclosed holes to steal all the food first, but then she goes back to her little hovels, alone. She isn't laying there, because she lays in her usual spot in her coop - but lately they've all been kicked out to stop my broody girls staying inside day. Could this be her being stressed over losing her nest, too? Or something worse? I don't want to cause stress to my girls so would love your thoughts!

 

[happyfrenchman]

Chickens pant when they are hot. It is normal. It is how they cool themselves. They will also fluff up their feathers to let the heat out. (feathers are very good insulators). Older chickens pant more than younger ones... just like people. If she is still doing her normal chicken routine, and as you say it has been warm lately, I think there is no indication of a problem. They have water.... the frozen banana sounds like a good treat.... l might try that. How is her feathering? Are her feathers looking ok. You can tell alot about a bird by it's eyes and it's feathers. If the eyes are clear and alert, the head is bobbing and the feathers are good, she is probably ok and I would not worry.

 

[Fallie]

Chickens pant when they are hot. It is normal. It is how they cool themselves. They will also fluff up their feathers to let the heat out. (feathers are very good insulators). Older chickens pant more than younger ones... just like people. If she is still doing her normal chicken routine, and as you say it has been warm lately, I think there is no indication of a problem. They have water.... the frozen banana sounds like a good treat.... l might try that. How is her feathering? Are her feathers looking ok. You can tell alot about a bird by it's eyes and it's feathers. If the eyes are clear and alert, the head is bobbing and the feathers are good, she is probably ok and I would not worry.

Yeah her feathers are normal, and she seems alert - she's looking in lots of directions which is why I wondered if she was stressed. She loved the banana, it was like a sorbet treat and they love it! I freeze my bananas that are going too brown, and then once frozen, I put them under running water for a few seconds to peel off the skin, and then they just can't get enough of it. Hopefully she is fine and she's just regulating her heat!

 

[Eggcessive]

I wouldn't block off your nests and coop from the hens. The ones who lay definitely will be confused and stressed if they cannot go in there of free will. If you have broody hens and don't want them to sit, they each need to be separated into a pen or large dog crate with no bedding, but with food and water to break over 5 days or so. How many are broody? If you can't break them all at once, start with a couple at a time.

Fans drawing cool air in and out of the coop can help with heat. Some hens will have a harder time in heat if they are fat. Panting with wings held out away from the body is the normal reaction when they are hot.

 

[Fallie]

I have three hens together, with 2 broody and the other one is the one who was panting. She's since stopped since being given frozen banana for two days, but I still don't know why it happened in the first place. I've had to divvy my yard up between my hens, my two young pullets, and my dog, so I'll try some of those broody breaking techniques.