Chicken clicking his beak?

[mewithoutashley]

I just got a five wk old rooster from one of my friends, and he's clicking his beak. I've never had one this young and was wondering if this is normal? I've got over twenty and have never heard this.

Do some chickens do that or could it be a problem?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Is the bird literally clicking his beak together, or do you hear a click from his beak area? "Clicking" noises are sometimes the noise that congestion makes inside the beak if a bird has a respiratory illness. So I want to better understand what you're saying he does so I don't jump to a conclusion.

By the way, if you don't have him quarantined, please do remove him to quarantine for 30 days. that gives you 21 days for the longest incubation periods, and some spare days for symptoms to show - particularly as this might be a respiratory click.

Has he been exposed to the other birds? Or they to him?

At his age by the way he'll need starter or starter grower for three more weeks. Then Starter/grower or grower til 5 months. Then adult feed.

 

[mewithoutashley]

he is literally clicking his beak together!!! I only hear it when he is cleaning himself though. And he is the only chick who is five wks, all my others are alot older and outside freeranging.

He seems like he is fine, no sneezing or anything! I've been putting the med drops from the feed store in his water, but that was just in case.



And thank you =]

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Oh yes, that noise! Yes, that's quite common (and one of my favorite sounds).

You should hear it when turkeys do it!

 

[HanBrand]

What does the clicking noise mean do you think? My rooster was doing it at me today

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I've been through heck and back with my dear rooster Henry. No less than a kajillion times did I think he was on the verge of dire death.

I know. Death doesn't really need an adjective.

The beak clicking was quite alarming when he started doing that. I studied his beak for hours and would try to associate it with patterns of eating or behavior. There are probably a range of possibilities, including what three horses mentioned. But for Henry what I noticed was the following:

He would click his beak just before turning his head to preen feathers on his back near his wounds. He would click in anticipation of the butter paddle in my hand getting ready to dip down into the honey pot to coat his wounds. And he would click when he began to regain feeling in his injured leg and wasn't sure what to do about it.

I thought something was wrong with his beak or that his jaw was out of alignment. Do chickens have jaws? Or that maybe it was a neurological tick he had developed in response to the swelling in his leg becoming infected and going systemic.

But alas it seems it had more to do with body awareness and preening, thank goodness. Keep an eye on his behavior relative to the others when he's doing this. If he starts clicking, take notice of what he was doing just before the clicking and observe how it plays it for the next several minutes.

And if symptoms develop post here and hopefully someone can help guide you on what to do.