Help please! Dizzy head shaking chickens

[gallos el bravo]

So I got 2 chickens that use to act normal till I let them outside and then they acted a little funny. They shake their head , walk dizzy , and can't balance on a perch but they eat ,lay, drink, and act fine i am worried. What could it be?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Can you give us more information about them, like....
How long have you had them?
How old are they?
Where did you get them from?
How long had they been outside when you started seeing problems?.... Was it immediate or a few days or weeks?

If you can take some video footage of the behaviour that is concerning you, so that we can see what you are seeing, then that would definitely help. You have to upload video to You Tube or Vimeo or whatever and then post a link here?

 

[gallos el bravo]

Hi

Can you give us more information about them, like....
How long have you had them?
How old are they?
Where did you get them from?
How long had they been outside when you started seeing problems?.... Was it immediate or a few days or weeks?

If you can take some video footage of the behaviour that is concerning you, so that we can see what you are seeing, then that would definitely help. You have to upload video to You Tube or VimeoW or whatever and then post a link here?

They are 10 months old and I have had them for 10 months.I got them on purely poultry website and they ikklkowere outside about 2 days also the problem started immediately and it's not ear mites. Also it's not depressed or lethargic its head just trembles a lot I can't post a video sadly

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

They are 10 months old and I have had them for 10 months.I got them on purely poultry website and they ikklkowere outside about 2 days also the problem started immediately and it's not ear mites. Also it's not depressed or lethargic its head just trembles a lot I can't post a video sadly

What is their pen situation, are they in a coop, freerange, a house and a yard? Do they have access to any kind of human debris, could they have eaten something bad?
It's been super windy in our area the past few days, that bothers my birds, could dust be what's causing it? Are they acting any better yet? Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get more info.

 

[gallos el bravo]

What is their pen situation, are they in a coop, freerange, a house and a yard? Do they have access to any kind of human debris, could they have eaten something bad?
It's been super windy in our area the past few days, that bothers my birds, could dust be what's causing it? Are they acting any better yet? Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get more info.

They live in a coop but I let them free range but last year nothing went wrong till this year when this grass company started growing grass were the chickens free range also they are acting shaky still but the only thing they shake is their head they can't keep balance because they seem it fall right off not because their legs are weak but because also my dad said that a few nights ago some chickens fell off the perch at midnight the perch is about 4 1/4 feet tall and it's been pretty hot lately no dust btw the question don't bother me as long as I know I am getting help.

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

Hmm, you said grass company, could they have put some kind of chemical or even insect or weed killer down? I would bring them back in if possible for a few days or until they are feeling better or you figure out what's wrong.

 

[gallos el bravo]

It was either the grass or they are traumatized when they fell I guess I will keep them separate for a few day thnx a lot for the help

 

[Little Jerry Seinfeld]

It was either the grass or they are traumatized when they fell I guess I will keep them separate for a few day thnx a lot for the help

Oh that makes sense, if they fell they will hopefully feel better by a day or two. Let us know how they are tomorro.

 

[rebrascora]

It is not normal for birds to fall off their roost unless they are sick.

The things that come to mind that could be causing this are....

Marek's disease..... they are the right age to get it and they have perhaps been stressed by the move outside and stress is a trigger for a Marek's outbreak. It can cause neurological symptoms like loss of balance.
There is no recognised treatment and it is often fatal but a good poultry supplement like Poultry Cell or Nutri Drench will help to support their immune systems and give them a chance to fight it. Falling off the roost or getting stuck in odd places is a common occurrence with Marek's, as it comes on quite suddenly. They can sometimes fully recover as quickly as they became debilitated, but they will be prone to future attacks at times of stress and will be carriers for life. It is caused by a virus that lies dormant for long periods and they shed the virus in dander dust which is inhaled by other birds to become infected. It is an extremely common and widespread disease and young birds are particularly vulnerable to it.

Crop impaction..... if they have recently had access to grass when they haven't previously, they can gorge on it and if the grass is longish, it can get tangled up in their crop and slow the rate at which food can pass into their digestive tract. Birds with an impacted crop will often snake their head and neck to try to adjust the crop contents.
To check for this, remove feed at night. Check their crops when they go to roost and check them again the next morning before they have access to food. Their crop should be full at night and empty in the morning. If it is not empty in the morning then this is most likely your problem. The birds will also start to lose weight and their breast bone will start to feel sharp under the skin. The lack of food going through their system will make them weak and the weight of their crop will unbalance them. The treatment usually starts with removing access to food and just giving them water with a poultry supplement as mentioned above and feeding them a couple of teaspoons of coconut oil each day and massaging their crop for 5-10 mins 3-4 times a day to try to break up the mass. It may take several days to break it up or they may need other treatments or even surgery if it still will not shift.

Coccidiosis.... having just been exposed to the outside, they may be suffering from an overgrowth of coccidia in their gut. These are little micro organisms that are everywhere in the soil but can flourish in the gut of certain animals (usually juveniles) for a variety of reasons. Coccidiosis is often associated with warm wet conditions.
Birds suffering from it will usually stand around hunched and sleepy and will have loose or bloody poop. They can become weak and wobbly as a result. Treatment is Corid which you will find in the cattle section of your feed store. Dosage is 1.5 teaspoons of the powder or 2 teaspoons of the liquid form in a gallon of water, made fresh each day for 7-10 days and that needs to be their sole source of water to ensure they get enough of the medicine...... so no access to muddy puddles or other standing water.

Chemical poisoning.... as @Little Jerry Seinfeld suggests, they may have ingested grass that has been treated with chemicals that is affecting their neurological system. You would need to prevent further access to it and I believe activated charcoal can be beneficial in absorbing residual toxic chemicals from their digestive tract. Again a vitamin supplement, particularly vitamin B complex may be beneficial to support their nervous system but hopefully with time the effects will wear off.

There may be other causes that I am not aware of, but those are the commonest and most likely things that I can think of which relate to your circumstances, based on the information that you have provided and Marek's Disease is probably the most likely of those. Without being able to see your sick birds or your set up, it is very difficult to be sure of anything though, so veterinary advice might be more beneficial.

Good luck with them

 

[gallos el bravo]

Thank you for the help I will try to identify one of all the possible problems throughout time