Chicken seizures? Lethargic and jerking head around

[GrannyAching]

Hello all,

I'm very new to this, just watching my brother's flock (9 ladies, various breeds, all about 2 years old) for the summer while he rebuilds his coop. We moved them to my yard and coop Friday evening, and by Saturday afternoon most of them seemed pretty well settled in.

HOWEVER - one of them has seemed more lethargic than the others, she hasn't been snapping at grasshoppers, she keeps lying/sitting down, I noticed she spent the night huddled on the ground in the coop instead of hopping up on the roost bars, then yesterday and today I saw her doing a weird behavioral tic, she stands there with her wings down and jerks her head to the side? I've attached a video I caught of her doing it today. Tonight when I went to close the coop she had just laid down at the bottom of the ramp up to the coop, didn't even climb up in with the rest of them!

My brother said he didn't notice this behavior before I picked them up, but he's kind of on autopilot with the flock while I've been staring at them constantly (and tbh nervously, I'd hate for one to die on me while I'm babysitting) since they arrived. Any ideas? I'm a bit freaked out here.

 

[GrannyAching]

Ok the video apparently didn't attach, here's a pic of her while I try to figure that out

 

[Samntha]

Maybe a vitamin deficiency? You can pick up a bottle at Tractor supply. It seems to always help my chickens and turkeys when they seem lethargic. Just add to the chicken water.

 

[GrannyAching]

She's the only one with the issue though, wouldn't that affect all of them?

Saw someone comment that videos don't really work here so I uploaded the video to YouTube:

 

[Samntha]

She's the only one with the issue though, wouldn't that affect all of them?

Saw someone comment that videos don't really work here so I uploaded the video to YouTube:

Yes but a little vitamin boost won’t hurt the other chickens !

 

[Lor]

Wasn't that long ago I had a hen with a crop issue. She would jerk that way to adjust her crop. Do you know if it's emptying at night? Crops should empty of their food overnight.
Not sure about the drooping wings.

 

[Samntha]

Yes but a little vitamin boost won’t hurt the other chickens !

Basically the vitamin boost helps stressed chickens so whatever she’s going through it should help!

 

[GrannyAching]

Fair point Samntha, thanks

Lor I think you nailed it! Her crop feels like a warm water balloon this morning! Any tips for helping her empty it? I read some stuff about 'burping' her, massaging the crop top to bottom, and putting ACV in her water?

 

[Lor]

Fair point Samntha, thanks

Lor I think you nailed it! Her crop feels like a warm water balloon this morning! Any tips for helping her empty it? I read some stuff about 'burping' her, massaging the crop top to bottom, and putting ACV in her water?

I fed some small chunks of coconut oil before massaging. 2-3 times a day. I also added some acv to her water. It took a few days for it to work. Do you smell anything sour on her breath?

 

[RoyalChick]

Looks to me like she is trying to adjust her crop. Feel her crop first thing in the morning and if it isn't empty you will need to help her clear it. You also need to figure out if she is getting a yeast infection called sour crop.
Here is a good article on crop issues to help you figure what you are dealing with:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If the crop feels hard and impacted in the morning I would give coconut oil (it is solid when cold and she may take it voluntarily - if not, pop little pieces in her beak) and then massage quite firmly to try and break up the mass of stuff blocking her up.
Last one I dealt with took about a week to clear and she did get sour crop so I had to treat that too.

Here is a video of my Minnie trying to clear her crop at night. After a week of massaging with coconut oil multiple times a day she did eventually manage to clear it.