Rooster with large comb and head shaking

[GardenerGal]

I have a 2.5 year old rooster with a comb that is so large that I had to remove a third of it because it was sitting on his eye. He was shaking his head all the time, and I thought that getting that piece of comb off his eye would put an end to that.

That was a couple of years ago, and even now, he constantly shakes his head. He is treated for mites and doesn't have respiratory illness, but the shaking is constant except when he is sleeping.

Does anyone notice that roosters (and hens) with large floppy combs shake their heads frequently? I wonder whether they are constantly trying to get that "foreign object" out of their line of sight, or some other thing such as the sensation of its weight causing a "get this off me!" reaction?

Any insights?

 

[luvmigirls]

None of my roosters have a floppy combs. But I do notice that they will wiggle their head back-and-forth really quick. I don't know why. And I don't have mites either.

Sorry couldn't be much more help just want to confirm that sometimes my roosters shake their head like that.

I have a 2.5 year old rooster with a comb that is so large that I had to remove a third of it because it was sitting on his eye. He was shaking his head all the time, and I thought that getting that piece of comb off his eye would put an end to that.

That was a couple of years ago, and even now, he constantly shakes his head. He is treated for mites and doesn't have respiratory illness, but the shaking is constant except when he is sleeping.

Does anyone notice that roosters (and hens) with large floppy combs shake their heads frequently? I wonder whether they are constantly trying to get that "foreign object" out of their line of sight, or some other thing such as the sensation of its weight causing a "get this off me!" reaction?

Any insights?

 

[cmom]

I have had males that shook their heads a lot. I think it was just in their genes.

 

[GardenerGal]

Thanks for the replies. It helps. I don't see the behavior in my bantam roosters, which have small non-floppy combs. But this rooster is a standard size with a big Mediterranean breed comb, and I thought maybe it was like those people with a lot of hair who are always tossing their heads to get it out of their faces.

 

[luvmigirls]

That was a great metaphor! If you're able to get a very short video of him doing it I'm curious to see if it compares to what my boys do.

 

[Trevorusn]

My BJG cockerel does this too, and he has a huge comb and pendulous wattles. It seems to be a flag almost to our pullets, a way of communicating to them. He is the only one of my one roo and two cockerels to do this, but he is the alpha as well so it may also be a display behavior.

 

[GardenerGal]

That was a great metaphor! If you're able to get a very short video of him doing it I'm curious to see if it compares to what my boys do.

I'll see if I can take a little video with my phone.

 

[GardenerGal]

My BJG cockerel does this too, and he has a huge comb and pendulous wattles. It seems to be a flag almost to our pullets, a way of communicating to them. He is the only one of my one roo and two cockerels to do this, but he is the alpha as well so it may also be a display behavior.

That's an interesting thought! I never considered it might be a display behavior.

 

[aart]

I'll see if I can take a little video with my phone.

You'll have to upload it to youtube or vimeo, then link it here.

Does he do it non-stop or just frequently?

 

[GardenerGal]

You'll have to upload it to youtube or vimeo, then link it here.

Does he do it non-stop or just frequently?

Not non-stop. Very frequently. Maybe every few seconds. There are times when he stops for a while, such as when he is eating or drinking, or if I am holding and petting him. When asleep he doesn't shake his head.