Head twitches

[Stacyoung13]

What would cause my 3 week old silkie to twitch her head all the time? Not so much when up moving around, but perched or laying, her little head will twitch all the time until she goes to sleep.

 

[AltonaAcres]

That can be normal, but if she starts twitching her head more and more, it could mean she has a mite infestation in her ear. I have a friend who has a silkie with that problem. It could be a lot of other things too i'm sure, that's just the one ailment I've heard of.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I agree it can be something some chickens just seem to do.. but in my experience, if mites/lice are not the issue, normally something is paining the chicken. Give her a good all over check up to make sure she has not injured herself, no cuts or hurt joints. Check her crop is emptying. If all seems fine, it probably is.

 

[Stacyoung13]

I agree it can be something some chickens just seem to do.. but in my experience, if mites/lice are not the issue, normally something is paining the chicken. Give her a good all over check up to make sure she has not injured herself, no cuts or hurt joints. Check her crop is emptying. If all seems fine, it probably is.

I looked her over, no mites or anything. She is eating and drinking. She acts normal, just the head twitch.

 

[RaintoRoots]

I also have a silkie chick who seems to have a neurological twitch which has given us quite the scare with the recent Newcastle Disease outbreak in California. After searching symptoms of the disease and taking into consideration the rest of my chicks are perfectly fine, I don't think it is Newcastle. I still can't figure out why one of my girls has the nervous head twitch. She gets around just fine, but I just wish she was more comfortable. She seems to peck the ground as a way of telling herself to stop, I feel bad for my sweet girl and give her extra treats.

 

[Stacyoung13]

I also have a silkie chick who seems to have a neurological twitch which has given us quite the scare with the recent Newcastle Disease outbreak in California. After searching symptoms of the disease and taking into consideration the rest of my chicks are perfectly fine, I don't think it is Newcastle. I still can't figure out why one of my girls has the nervous head twitch. She gets around just fine, but I just wish she was more comfortable. She seems to peck the ground as a way of telling herself to stop, I feel bad for my sweet girl and give her extra treats.

My babies are growing out of it. At 5 weeks, there’s little to no twitching. I hope you have the same luck with your precious baby.