CHICKEN WALKING BACKWARDS?!?!?!

[choptank330]

I have a Faverolles hen, and after she gets mounted, she walks backwards for about 30 seconds, then she shakes her head and seems to be fine. She eats well,acts fine. Does anyone have an idea of why she does this?

 

[Studio2770]

I think one of my leghorns does that after she takes a dirt bath. She shakes all the dirt off and is fine. I have no idea why!

 

[Zaxby's2]

My EE has never done this but she's raising chicks now and whenever a more dominant hen pecks her she tucks her head in and walks backwards. When she's done she goes back to normal

 

[choptank330]

Glad to know shes not the only one just weird things have been going on. My ameracauna girl, hasn't laid in 14 days. Eats well, acts normal. Doesn't seem like she's moulting. No bugs ? I'm stumped. And they are locked up right now for garden season :/ . She can't fly over. So who knows.

 

[chooks4life]

I've heard of this being bred into some strains of quail and chooks. It's an inherited spasm in them and can be triggered by external stimuli as well as just happening without obvious cause. The head can go under the body or stay in a normal position but the bird always walks backwards, and is always normal the rest of the time. Some folks don't see an issue with it because it doesn't kill them but unfortunately I would cull for it since it is inherited.

 

[Studio2770]

Sounds like what my leghorn does. Yeah, I don't plan to cull her anytime soon. It only happens when she dust bathes, but it's not every single time.

 

[chooks4life]

Each to their own, I don't believe someone should cull a pet due to its special needs or inherited faults, it's a case of what the animal and its owner are willing to work with. Best not to breed on with though. But that's up to the owner. Best wishes.

 

[Studio2770]

Thanks, I've only seen it, none of my family members have so I guess it's not a frequent thing. She acts totally normal. We don't have any plans to breed our chickens. Just eat bugs, lay eggs, and enjoy the backyard!

 

[lazy gardener]

I have a BSL that only does this when she is let out of the coop in the morning. I agree with previous poster that I would not choose to cull her unless it gets to the point that she is not able to function. However, if I end up hatching more eggs, I would not set any of her eggs. (she was the first bird to hatch in my home made incubator this spring!)

 

[chooks4life]

Each to their own and no condemnation. I have unfit to breed chooks that I keep nonetheless, too.

Also there is basically no single symptom that is caused by one thing alone, so there is every chance some of your birds got their spasms from something else... Injury, inflammation, toxicity, insufficiency or oversufficiency, etc... It would take an in depth diagnostic exploration to truly find the culprit cause. Just because a bird never looked hurt or sick a moment in its life does not mean it wasn't, there's so much we are unaware of going on right under our noses all the time.

Best wishes to all.