Chicken yawning/shaking head

[robinwhiskers]

My 1 year old Orpington hen will be acting all normal and suddenly will stand still, yawning repeatedly and shaking her head. Then she acts totally normal. What might this mean?

 

[Kiki]

COULD mean:
She is adjusting her crop.
She has worms.
She has mites.
She has fluid in her lungs.

 

[robinwhiskers]

Should I do anything?

 

[Kiki]

Should I do anything?

Have you opened her mouth to see if anything was stuck in her throat?
Have you checked her at night for mites?
Have you ever dewormed your flock?
Is she eating and drinking well on her own?
How does she feel...is she skinny?

 

[robinwhiskers]

I've dewormed the flock a couple times with fenbendazole in the past year (last deworming was in late July and August), she is eating and drinking and I believe she's a good weight. She seems to be acting fine, she is a trick chicken and wants to do all of her normal training.

 

[Kiki]

I've dewormed the flock a couple times with fenbendazole in the past year (last deworming was in late July and August), she is eating and drinking and I believe she's a good weight. She seems to be acting fine, she is a trick chicken and wants to do all of her normal training.

Then I would guess that you don't have to worry about anything.
She is probably adjusting her crop.
Check her tonight for mites though.

 

[ellenscoop]

It could be nothing or it could be something.....if you want to get an idea of the possibilities, you can always use the chicken symptom checker tool.

 

[robinwhiskers]

Ok thanks!

 

[robinwhiskers]

I went in there and she kept yawning and yawning. She then acted fine when she saw I had food though! I added ACV to their water today for a bit of an immune boost, I'll keep an eye on her. It also is pretty hot today and the hens are definitely over this long hot summer.

 

[Mosey2003]

You aren't supposed to give ACV when it's hot/summer, something about a negative effect on calcium.

I would pick her up and feel her really well, feel if her breast seems wasted away. Check near the vent for mites. Then open up her mouth and look down her throat, some even advise to use a cotton swab in the throat. That's to check for gapeworm, which are very small red worms that can live in the throat, but they really aren't that common. If all of that checks out fine and her breathing is fine, all signs would be she just adjusts her crop often.