Is This Normal?

[The4-AcreRanchette]

Lily, our 11-ish week-old "teenage" chicken, is doing something odd. None of the other chickens do this- only her. She squats and rolls her head from side to side in the dirt. Isn't that bad for her eyes?! I know hens do "dustbaths", but rolling just her head around in the rocks?! Is that normal? She's doing it very frequently... every few minutes.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

She's probably just dust bathing. Chickens do that... it's amazing the things they do that look either really funny or concerning and they think nothing of it. They also sun bathe if you ever see that it's hilarious.

She could also feel something on her face somewhere and is trying to wipe it off.

Does she otherwise seem fine?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Check her head for signs of external parasites or other irritants that may be causing her to focus these efforts on that part of her body

 

[The4-AcreRanchette]

She's probably just dust bathing. Chickens do that... it's amazing the things they do that look either really funny or concerning and they think nothing of it. They also sun bathe if you ever see that it's hilarious.

She could also feel something on her face somewhere and is trying to wipe it off.

Does she otherwise seem fine?

She does seem OK otherwise. She's definitely the friendliest and most "chill" of the flock, so maybe I'm just being paranoid. Her comb is coming in, so maybe that's bugging her somehow?

 

[lazy gardener]

She's simply dust bathing.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

She does seem OK otherwise. She's definitely the friendliest and most "chill" of the flock, so maybe I'm just being paranoid. Her comb is coming in, so maybe that's bugging her somehow?

Nah, she's just enjoying her dirt spa