Stedic Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Hey guys, I'm a touch concerned about Cybil my recently aquired Blue. When I first got her, I noticed that she does seem to have a habit of opening her beak, as if she is breathing from her mouth. She doesn't do it all the time and she was quite happy so left her to it. She had runny yellow poos which I (after a panic) put down to stress and that again is starting to resolve itself. Last night I had to move her from her old house to her new Eglu (see other posts) and this morning I've noticed she's back to opening up her beak again. She seems to be eating and drinking quite happily and was scratting around earlier. She's very skittish at the moment so I haven't been able to handle her to check for impacted crop, it looks a touch bigger than normal, but she has been eating this morning so could just be that. They are currently on straw in the run - I know that can cause impacted crops, but I've never seen her eat it. They're on that because thats what they had at the breeder, I plan to change it next time I clean out the run, was just letting them settle in first., Could this beak thing be caused by the heat or stress? I'm concerned about Gapeworm and Impacted Crop. I've got some Flubenvet and just registered her with a vet - but as they are not happy being picked up yet it'd be a nightmare getting her there! I'm keeping an eye on her today and will see how she behaves, especially at snack time as she's usually a pig when it comes to corn! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 It could easily be the heat and stress. One of my bluebelles who is slightly shy breathes through her beak when she is anxious. They are all prone to doing it when they are hot. Ensure that she has plenty of shade and water available and avoid unneccesary handling if you can until she gets more confident. Obviously still keep a discreet eye on her incase there should be something else going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 They do this a lot when they are hot. I have given my girls some frozen corn on the cob to cool them down a bit. Kind of like a chicken ice lolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stedic Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Thanks ChuckyMama. I popped down and watched her again a few minutes ago, she wasn't opening her beak and just appeared normal. They've got plenty of shade, food and water so I'll see how she gets on. She did get quite stressed yesterday during the move - I let them free range from the old coop and lured them into the new run with food. She got separated from her friend and it seemed to upset her a bit. Frozen corn on the cob is a great idea - I'll definately try it if I can get them to eat unfrozen stuff first! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
