Hen Walking Backwards with Head Down

[smdcleland]

Hello! I noticed one of my Hens, Dorothy, acting odd last week. She puts her head down and takes a few steps backwards, then walks forward, and then does it again. Otherwise her behavior is normal. She is eating, drinking, and foraging. Her poop is watery and looks a little mucousy like egg whites. She is laying eggs fine though.

Anyone have any idea what this could be? Is it something to worry about?

 

[Kiki]

How old is she and what exactly have you been feeding?

 

[smdcleland]

She will be a year in August. She eats layer feed, and I let them forage around the yard daily while I watch them.

 

[Kiki]

She will be a year in August. She eats layer feed, and I let them forage around the yard daily while I watch them.

Do you feed treats?
When was the last/most recent time you brought any new birds home?
Can you take a short clear video of her now?

 

[smdcleland]

Occasionally they get soldier worm larva, romaine, grapes, cottage cheese... all in small amounts.

We adopted a hen in March. We quarantined. All get along great and I haven't noticed any issues between any of them.

I will try to get a video of her tomorrow.

I read it could be a Vitamin E deficiency. I'm not sure why that would happen to only her though and no one else.

 

[Kiki]

Occasionally they get soldier worm larva, romaine, grapes, cottage cheese... all in small amounts.

We adopted a hen in March. We quarantined. All get along great and I haven't noticed any issues between any of them.

I will try to get a video of her tomorrow.

I read it could be a Vitamin E deficiency. I'm not sure why that would happen to only her though and no one else.

What does occasionally mean?

It's only likely for a bird to have vitamin deficiencies if they're fed treats often... And they don't eat enough of the complete balanced feed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Could be a neurological issue, either due to some deficiency or injury. I had an EE which would do something similar to what you described, and best we could tell it was a nervous twitch (or actual minor damage) from being pecked in the head by more dominant birds.

 

[defazzy]

Walking backward is a bad sign, it usually indicates brain damage or a neurological condition. If it's an open crested breed, it could be a head injury, but it can also be an illness like coryza, kinky-back, marek's, etc.

Can indeed also be caused by vitamin E or selenium deficiencies that hit the nervous system. I would add tuna to the diet and search for a vet.

source: https://www.chickenfans.com/chickens-walk-backward/#why

 

[smdcleland]

I really hope it's not a neurological issue. I love her and it would kill me to lose her. She acts and eats fine other than this issue.

I will give her tuna and reduce/stop all treats.

Fingers crossed!

 

[smdcleland]

Oh, I forgot to mention, she is a Rhode Island Red. I don't see any injuries to her head from pecking, but my other hen, Roxanne, is definitely at the top of the pecking order, and does assert her dominance.