Chicken lays her head over 90 degrees when trying to look at me--new behavior.

[ella&clara]

I couldn't think of another way to describe this. This hen has been treated for coccidiosis recently and I separated her to the flock. When I tried to reintroduce her to the flock, they pecked at her and tore her comb partly off her head. They also pecked near her eye. This was about 2 weeks ago, and she seemed to move her head normally once she got used to the comb flopping around. I've put her in with the most submissive chicken so she wouldn't be lonely and so, I hope, I can reintroduce her to the flock. She's started laying her head over 90 degrees onto her shoulder in the most bizarre manner to look at me. When she's walking around pecking the ground she behaves normally, but it seems to be when something is taller than her that she does this weird thing. Basically she lays her head over on her shoulder, one eye to the shoulder and one eye up. Any ideas what's going on? She seems to feel well, eats and drinks and forages.

 

[MeepBeep]

Chickens eyes (like on most non-predator animals) are situated on the sides of their heads, not the front... Thus they have a naturally hard time actually seeing directly in front of them, this is usually why they cock their head to the side if they want to get a better look in front of them... Also if as you said she was pecked near the eye there might be an injury that is making it even harder for her to see...

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like it could be a conditions called wry neck or torticolis. Pictures always help, though. Wry neck is a symptom of a neurological problem that can be from a head injury, a vitamin deficiency, or from certain diseases including Mareks. Most people treat it with vitamin B1 (thiamine,) Vitamin E, and selenium. You can use a product called Poultry Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell, or you can give a poultry vitamin in the water, then supplement with egg or tuna for the selenium. Also, you will want to limit stimulation and noise, and help her to eat and drink enough. Here is some reading about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[ella&clara]

Chickens eyes (like on most non-predator animals) are situated on the sides of their heads, not the front... Thus they have a naturally hard time actually seeing directly in front of them, this is usually why they cock their head to the side if they want to get a better look in front of them... Also if as you said she was pecked near the eye there might be an injury that is making it even harder for her to see...

This is definitely something I've never seen before (I have had chickens for 3.5 years).

 

[ella&clara]

It sounds like it could be a conditions called wry neck or torticolis. Pictures always help, though. Wry neck is a symptom of a neurological problem that can be from a head injury, a vitamin deficiency, or from certain diseases including Mareks. Most people treat it with vitamin B1 (thiamine,) Vitamin E, and selenium. You can use a product called Poultry Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell, or you can give a poultry vitamin in the water, then supplement with egg or tuna for the selenium. Also, you will want to limit stimulation and noise, and help her to eat and drink enough. Here is some reading about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

Thanks, I'll try to get some pictures. It's very bizarre-looking.

 

[ella&clara]

This is a video I took of her. She was pecked, which I described in https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/941194/should-i-remove-her-comb-pecking-injury-with-pics/20 in this post. I'm leaning towards brain damage?? She is able to walk around, eat, peck, scratch, and drink and doesn't seem to be in distress.

 

[Makomd]

It sounds like it could be a conditions called wry neck or torticolis. Pictures always help, though. Wry neck is a symptom of a neurological problem that can be from a head injury, a vitamin deficiency, or from certain diseases including Mareks. Most people treat it with vitamin B1 (thiamine,) Vitamin E, and selenium. You can use a product called Poultry Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell, or you can give a poultry vitamin in the water, then supplement with egg or tuna for the selenium. Also, you will want to limit stimulation and noise, and help her to eat and drink enough. Here is some reading about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

Agreed looks like Wry Neck to me.

 

[ella&clara]

Any comments on my video of her?

 

[MeepBeep]

Any comments on my video of her? 

That looks like possibly wry neck in the video, try pumping her full of Vitamins, especially Vitamin B complexes... Poly-Vi-Sol (no iron) found in the baby section of your drug store works well (beware it will stain everything) you can also get some nutritional brewers yeast and add it to her food, or something labeled for poultry use if you want...

 

[Eggcessive]

The video looks like wry neck or torticolis, just as it sounded from your description in post #1. Follow the treatment for wry neck in post #2.