Cool/ weird silkie run

[Flippacase]

I have two chickens, a RIW and a silkie mix.
My RIW walks like a normal chicken, with the head bobbing and all, but my silkie mix doesnt.
Instead of that normal head bobbing walk, he crouches down really low to the ground, and just sprints. and i mean SPRINTS!!!
He runs so fast, for no reason, it looks very ninja like. I think its cool.

Heres my question,

A friend of mine told me that chickens walk the way the do(head bobbing/twitchy) because of the way there nerves are connected to there brains. He told me that if chickens dont walk in the bobbing way, they would eventualy become paralised. Is this true???
Will my poor little tweetie become paralised if he dosent start to walk like a chicken???

 

[LeghornLisa]

Do you know if the Silkie has head trama? Did he/she get poked/bumped in the noggin??

 

[Flippacase]

not that i know of,
shes only ten weeks old. She just prefurs to run rather that walk?

 

[elmo]

Many ground dwelling birds such as pigeons and doves also bob their heads when they walk. I don't think there's a scientific consensus yet about why they do this, though; I think it is believed it has something to do with vision, or adjusting their visual focus in the near range.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i've never heard of them becoming paralyzed if they don't bob their heads. i've often wondered, if you held a pigeons head straight, could they walk at all? You know, because they bob their head with every step.

You would want to worry about a head trauma or vitamin deficiency if your silkie was doing a head-shake thing. They will do this shaking, bobbing off to one side. Or sometimes they will walk backwards shaking their heads.

But running when they move shouldn't be a problem. i've noticed that especially young birds like to move very fast very quickly. i think they're just getting their ya-yas out and having fun. i wouldn't worry.

 

[Flippacase]

whew!

thanks

and thats funny, with the pigeons!

 

[LilBizzy]

I noticed my silkies doing this. One in particular does it, and it is hysterical! She will crouch down, move her head in a circle, then take off!! Comes to a screeching halt, dances around in a little circle, then crouches and darts in the other direction. It is quite fun to watch.
I've heard a few "theories" about silkies being -- "special" because of their vaulted heads. I've only had these silkies for 6 months, and I think their being so different is what makes them enjoyable.

 

[newduckie]

I have a silkie rooster that does something similar. Not all the time, but he was a bit older when I got him. But he loves to RUN! for no apparent reason, he will just take off.

 

[Ariel301]

Hahaha I'd like to see a video of that! It sounds funny to watch.

 

[CrazyFowlFreak]

My Appenzellers run like this, too. It's hilarious to see!