Chicken autism?

[ChickLover2007]

Hi very sorry if this is the wrong discussion board but is it possible for a chicken to have autism? I have a chicken that is acting strange, it wasn’t as noticeable when she was younger but now that she’s gotten to the teenage phase (looks like an adult but is not laying eggs yet) I have noticed strange behaviors. As far as I can tell she’s not sick, she’s drinking water and eating food and going to roost with the others, her crop is ok and she’s digesting food, she is pooping ok and she doesn’t have the posture of a sick hen (her head is not tucked, she’s up and walking and she’s not lazing around.) but she’s literally slower than the others, she walks and only occasionally runs, instead of running over at feeding time she walks and then after she just pecks at corn(we give them corn after we give them scraps). She always acts confused and she’s very talkative. As far as I can tell she’s not sick, just strange. Sorry for the long post, I wanted to make sure all my bases were covered but is it possible for a chicken to have autism? Sorry again if this is the wrong discussion board.

 

[nuthatched]

What is her diet? It sounds more like getting-close-to-lay jitters [puberty] or at the most vitamin deficiency.

 

[ChickLover2007]

We give them cracked corn and grit in the morning, in the evening they get scraps of whatever we have on hand like lettuce, apples, strawberries, pumpkin, rice, etc. it changes from day to day but they always have vegetables, fruits and some dried worms from the store on occasion. Then we give them more cracked corn in case they’re still hungry. I bring up autism because she also doesn’t socialize like the other hens do. I thought it was just where the seasons are changing but now that you bring it up she could also be close to laying as two of my other chickens that are a little older than her have started.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Probably lacking in diet. Some birds show problems a lot easier/earlier than others, even amongst siblings

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

What is her breed? Breed matters when a chicken acts weird. I have a few Polish and they are the strangest things ever.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

We give them cracked corn

Be sure to not give chickens corn every day. Corn can easily make a chicken obese or overall feel ill.

 

[nuthatched]

Q

We give them cracked corn and grit in the morning, in the evening they get scraps of whatever we have on hand like lettuce, apples, strawberries, pumpkin, rice, etc. it changes from day to day but they always have vegetables, fruits and some dried worms from the store on occasion. Then we give them more cracked corn in case they’re still hungry. I bring up autism because she also doesn’t socialize like the other hens do. I thought it was just where the seasons are changing but now that you bring it up she could also be close to laying as two of my other chickens that are a little older than her have started.

Any real chicken feed at all? Or just all these treats?
They need real chicken feed, foods like that are for minor amounts, once or twice a week.
She and your flock is likely pretty nutrition deficient.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Chickens don't have Autism like people do, and this is coming from someone who has Autism and has twelve years of experience with chickens. I would suspect other things. A lot of experienced people on this thread is questioning nutrition, so I will question that too.

On my own observations on strange chicken behaviors, I'd question her personality, health (internal), breed, and sight (along with other senses). How does her feet look? Does she have crooked toes, bumble foot, or anything else causing pain in her feet and/or legs? Where is she in the pecking order? Is she easily spooked? Is she squatting at all? (That's a sign she's about to lay.) What perch does she roost on at night? (The top, middle, or bottom.) What do you mean by acting confused? Has she ever experienced any injuries to her head? What do her eyes look like? Can you post a picture of them? Does she shake her head a lot, especially around noises? How does her crop feel? Feel it before bed and first thing in the morning. Is it emptying? What breed is she and how much does she weigh? As far as talkative, does she seem distressed? What is she always doing for talk? (Clucks- warning, clucks- egg song, long whines- complaining, etc.)

I've had hens who didn't always come running for treats. Sometimes they were too interested in their free ranging that what I had to offer wasn't good enough. Others, I referred to them as "polite." They weren't pushy birds and didn't always care for their feathers to be ruffled by the craze of treat crazy hens. (Their pin feathers might be more painful than others.)

 

[tlcmurphy]

Autism is a human neurodevelopmental disorder, animals do not have it. My niece is autistic

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think if nutrition were an issue, the whole flock would be affected.