why would cornish x 13dy old chick gape its mouth?

[daviechik]

is there a reason why it would do that? I did take a video (waiting for it to upload) it looks perfectly healthy otherwise, nice color, active, walking around but doing this weird thing...

 

[jnntefend]

is there a reason why it would do that? I did take a video (waiting for it to upload) it looks perfectly healthy otherwise, nice color, active, walking around but doing this weird thing...

I don't have a why for you, but I can tell you that mine do it, too, if that helps, and they are about a month old now.

 

[daviechik]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754681/our-babies-made-it/20#post_10768128

there are pictures of it doing it.

 

[daviechik]

anyone?

 

[my sunwolf]

Mine do that too. I think they have trouble breathing because of their heavy weight. Their bodies are also just under a lot more stress than other chickens' bodies. Mine tend to group really close into a chick huddle for comfort, but don't realize that this soars their temperature and makes them hot. I think it's just what Cornish X do...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It doesn't look lethargic so I'd not worry too much about it. Usually birds gap when too hot. Just make sure they've a cool side of brooder to go to and fresh water. I lower temperature as they grow in more feathers. At two weeks my brooder is 85F at floor level under light.

 

[daviechik]

They are already outside which is fairly cool... We were a bit hot yesterday but today it's cooled down a lot. I don't see any doing it this morning...

thanks for the help! Heat makes sense.

 

[jnntefend]

What Heart Moss said was right on, I think. They make their own selves hot with all the cuddling. When mine aren't eating and drinking, they are laying in a chicken pile, whether it's hot or cold in their brooder.

 

[my sunwolf]

What Heart Moss said was right on, I think. They make their own selves hot with all the cuddling. When mine aren't eating and drinking, they are laying in a chicken pile, whether it's hot or cold in their brooder.

Cornish X do love to eat, drink, sleep, repeat. It's sad because they're not stupid; their instincts are telling them one thing while their bodies are behaving differently (ex. their instincts say to huddle but their bodies are so bulky that they'd be warm enough without huddling).

I have all chickens down to about 80˚F by 2 weeks, and the Cornish, while gaping, were still directly under the heat lamp.

Poor Cornish