Backing up, Walking Backward 11mos old

[TXKukupantsKoop]

@TinaRew your videos of your hen walking show her pausing and backing up incrementally. This is normal chicken behavior when scanning the ground for signs of food. I see nothing that suggests to me that your hen has a neurological issue.

When my rooster was walking backwards, he dragged his beak on the ground, unable to raise his head. He appeared helpless to snap out of it when it happened. It incapacitated him. It was extremely obvious he was having trouble moving normally. Within an hour of giving him a vitamin E capsule, he stopped doing it and returned to normal behavior.

But do keep an eye on your hen. If her behavior becomes such that she doesn't seem to be able to do what she is needing to do and seems frustrated and confused, then she may be having symptoms of torticolis.

My hen was like your rooster. It freaked me out. I was talking to her like she was one of my daughters..."Are you ok? What's wrong?" Love those girls. Glad I saw this thread. It hasn't happened in a long time but I will get some vitamin E to keep on hand.

 

[TinaRew]

@TinaRew your videos of your hen walking show her pausing and backing up incrementally. This is normal chicken behavior when scanning the ground for signs of food. I see nothing that suggests to me that your hen has a neurological issue.

When my rooster was walking backwards, he dragged his beak on the ground, unable to raise his head. He appeared helpless to snap out of it when it happened. It incapacitated him. It was extremely obvious he was having trouble moving normally. Within an hour of giving him a vitamin E capsule, he stopped doing it and returned to normal behavior.

But do keep an eye on your hen. If her behavior becomes such that she doesn't seem to be able to do what she is needing to do and seems frustrated and confused, then she may be having symptoms of torticolis.

I can assure this is not normal behavior for her, and has gotten worse. She almost can’t move forward more than a step or two without doing this. I can also tell when I watch her that she seems somewhat disoriented. The first video I posted yesterday isn’t even as bad as the updated one today. I’m hoping the vitamins help but she has been “off” for a little while now and it just seems one thing after another.

We do the gel because that’s what I have on hand and it’s easy to just add to the eggs for her.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

I had a hen with those same symptoms, but hers were even worse. She’d be walking around just fine, then suddenly screw her head around wildly and start backing up and shaking. Unfortunately, she passed away from heatstroke a couple years ago, so I don’t know if it ever would’ve resolved. I hope your hen feels better soon!

 

[azygous]

You are the ultimate judge of what's normal or not for your chickens. A video can show us motion, but it's still just a few seconds out of many, and being there and knowing what's normal gives you much more information and insight than we get just watching the video.

Have you tried adding sugar to her water? Raising her glucose can sometimes cause dramatic improvement. But do continue with the vitamin E.