HELP..why is my Hen clicking beak together????????

[calichicken]

Hi! I am REALLY hoping someone can help me out with my hen. She keeps clicking her beak together. She is not preening and .it is more after she eats. Yesterday she was also opening her beak and stretching her neck. No discharge from nostrils and I do not see any other symptoms. Tried to look inside her mouth but no luck!

She has been broody and sitting on her nest for the past 3 1/2 weeks(inside in a broody area) or so and the hatch went poorly..her one chick died yesterday at 5 days old. I am worried and can not tell whats going on, especially since has been broody and not engaging in her typical chicken behavior anyway. I got her up and about for a bit yesterday and she did dust, poop...well it was broody poop and she did eat and drink a little.

Could her beak be bothering her since she hasn't been using it to forage/dig ect and the top is longer than she is used to? Or is it something else?

Just want to make sure she is ok and just trying to deal with the loss of her chick.

 

[welasharon]

She may have something stuck in it.

 

[calichicken]

I tried to look in her mouth but no luck yet. Also she pooped and this is what came out.
HELP! My hen is pooping out this!

She did eat a little watermelon this morning so not sure if I am just panicing

Between broody/baby loss and this I have no idea whats going on with my girl

 

[welasharon]

I am no poop expert but that is odd for sure. Hopefully this will bump the thread back up andsomeone who knows their poop will respond.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

It's difficult to know exactly what is going on without seeing the behavior myself. Next time you are out with her, hold her beak near your nose and take a sniff. Do you smell any bad odors? That is often a sign of some sort of respiratory issue and can be accompanied by infected sinuses or air spaces. However, if she is not sneezing, rattling, or wheezing, this may not be your issue.

The beak clicking may very well just be a broody behavior. She could be trying to call to her chicks as she may not realize it is dead yet.

As for the poop, chickens normally shed the lining of their intestinal tract and it can appear bloody in the stool. The poop you photographed doesn't send red flags up because the consistency seems otherwise normal, and the whole poop is not bloody or watery. It is something to keep an eye on though. If the blood continues, it could point to and intestinal issue like coccidiosis.

I would maybe think about separating her from the rest of the flock to better monitor and prevent any possible spread of disease. At this point, I don't think you need to take any further actions, but it may help to break her of her broodiness. Putting her in a wire bottom cage helps, but sticking rocks or a brick on her nest can also do the trick.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Another thing I just thought of...gape worm. It's typically characterized by the yawning/stretching of the neck behavior. Gape worms infest the trachea of birds and were pretty bad this year on the east coast. Luckily, it can be fixed by a small does of injectable ivermec. I would probably just go ahead and dose her and see if she gets any better.

 

[calichicken]

It's difficult to know exactly what is going on without seeing the behavior myself. Next time you are out with her, hold her beak near your nose and take a sniff. Do you smell any bad odors? That is often a sign of some sort of respiratory issue and can be accompanied by infected sinuses or air spaces. However, if she is not sneezing, rattling, or wheezing, this may not be your issue.

The beak clicking may very well just be a broody behavior. She could be trying to call to her chicks as she may not realize it is dead yet.

As for the poop, chickens normally shed the lining of their intestinal tract and it can appear bloody in the stool. The poop you photographed doesn't send red flags up because the consistency seems otherwise normal, and the whole poop is not bloody or watery. It is something to keep an eye on though. If the blood continues, it could point to and intestinal issue like coccidiosis.

I would maybe think about separating her from the rest of the flock to better monitor and prevent any possible spread of disease. At this point, I don't think you need to take any further actions, but it may help to break her of her broodiness. Putting her in a wire bottom cage helps, but sticking rocks or a brick on her nest can also do the trick.

Another thing I just thought of...gape worm. It's typically characterized by the yawning/stretching of the neck behavior. Gape worms infest the trachea of birds and were pretty bad this year on the east coast. Luckily, it can be fixed by a small does of injectable ivermec. I would probably just go ahead and dose her and see if she gets any better.

Thank you so much for your advice! I did not notice any bad odor when I smelled by her beak area. I was wondering since she hasn't been out foraging and using her beak if has grown and is bothering her? She usually keeps it pretty short and rounded through usage.

I also had another person comment on the shedding of stomach lining and I was looking at pics for healthy/nonhealthy poop and think this may be the case. No watery or bloody stools at all. Going to watch and see if it continues. She doesn't seem sick or in distress. With everything that has happened, she is not her usual self yet.

She is separated right now because she is in a broody area so that is good! I actually am picking up some day old chicks to see if she will accept them and mother them to help her finish her whole broody process...hopefully she does!

Thanks again !

 

[debster1556]

Hi there!

My chicken had a bloody poop too that scared the heck out of me!! It was the shedding of the intestinal lining and nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on it.

Chickens get kinda weird when they go broody. Mine went broody, had the great big poops, lots of growling, posturing,etc. Just part of being broody.

Feel her crop, make sure it's empty in the morning. I guess the beak thing could be from not foraging. But none of it sounds too serious. Just be watchful!! Good luck with your new chicks! We've just hatched 3 about 5 weeks ago and they're alot of fun!

 

[calichicken]

Hi there!

My chicken had a bloody poop too that scared the heck out of me!! It was the shedding of the intestinal lining and nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on it.

Chickens get kinda weird when they go broody. Mine went broody, had the great big poops, lots of growling, posturing,etc. Just part of being broody.

Feel her crop, make sure it's empty in the morning. I guess the beak thing could be from not foraging. But none of it sounds too serious. Just be watchful!! Good luck with your new chicks! We've just hatched 3 about 5 weeks ago and they're alot of fun!

Hi! thanks! I have relaxed a bit since doing some reading and getting feedback! It is so hard when things are happening to know if it is serious or not and she is a pet(eggs are a bonus

). Going to keep an eye and make sure she is ok. I did check her crop today to make sure nothing was going on there, but she hasn't bee eating as much since going broody

Hopefully once she is out and about with her babies, she will file down her beak and it will help. I think maybe we could file as well, but have to look into that too! What a crazy day!!!!

Congrats on your chicks!! I am exciting to give my girl some. She was doing such a great job with the chick she hatched, but unfortunately it didn't make it and she is still in full momma mode.

 

[debster1556]

I wouldn't file anything on your chickens beak. They have alot of nerve endings there and it would be painful. Once she gets out of the nest box and pecks around, it will take care of itself naturally.

Chickens are tough in the beginning. There is so much to learn!! =)