Why do cocks take fewer breaths per minute than hens?

Shadrach

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A while ago I was watching Cillin (Senior cock in Tribe 1) and Fat Bird (Senior hen in Tribe 1) as they sheltered from the sun in my house.
They both had their beaks open and were panting a bit and I thought Fat Bird was having breathing difficulties because she was breathing much faster than Cillin.
I counted 36 breathes per minute for Fat Bird, but only 20 for Cillin.
I timed other cocks and hens and roughly the hens breath at twice the rate of the cocks.
They all have about the same body temperature and about the same heart rate.
Why the big difference in breathing rate?
 
Does Cillin have larger comb and wattles than Fat Bird? They help cool the bird so he wouldn't have to pant as much to cool off.
Try giving them frozen fruit pieces and a dish of ice water. I put ice water in a heavy glass loaf pan so my birds don't just knock it over.
 
You took their pulse and temperature...like with a stethoscope and rectal thermometer??
:lau
Noooo, not quite like that:gig
I did take their pulse at the neck with a finger, yep I washed it after
You want to know if washed my finger after taking their temperature don't you...
I put a thermometer under their wing..
 
I have observed increased propensity for heat stress for hens in lay when compared males and hens not in lay. Broody hens generally more heat tolerant than those in lay. Metabolic activity associated with vitilogenesis and egg production is a major stressor.

Comb and wattles are not that important for dumping of excess heat, otherwise the structures might be retained more with fighting chickens that suffer heat stress.
 

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