Not an emergency... I'm pretty sure

[HeatherKellyB]

Oh my goodness! She's so precious. She looks like my Roody's twin sister. He tends to hesitate a bit about the higher roosts too. He usually manages at night but he likes my assistance getting down in the morning. I figured it was his feathers interfering with his view, but who knows. Those frizzle bantam cochins are super easy to spoil since they're such love bugs! My Barred bantam cochin is super sweet too but he is hesitant about everything. Maybe it's a cochin thing. I need a girl cochin bantam.......... just to test my theory (sounds like a valid reason for more chickens, right?)

Edited to add: Bantam Cochins must be like a typical pet. My Carlos (barred bantam cochin) will come running (eh. Waddling) whenever we call him or if he sees us. I LOVE to watch bantam cochins walk away! They have the absolute cutest fluffy chicken butts!!!

 

[tn_artist]

Oh my goodness! She's so precious. She looks like my Roody's twin sister. He tends to hesitate a bit about the higher roosts too. He usually manages at night but he likes my assistance getting down in the morning. I figured it was his feathers interfering with his view, but who knows. Those frizzle bantam cochins are super easy to spoil since they're such love bugs! My Barred bantam cochin is super sweet too but he is hesitant about everything. Maybe it's a cochin thing. I need a girl cochin bantam.......... just to test my theory (sounds like a valid reason for more chickens, right?)

Of course! More chickens is always the answer. (Although I'm downsizing a bit as chicken math had me at 140 birds in city limits.) Our town has no restrictions, but my yard is only so big.i just sold my only gold laced Cochin pullet and an extra mottled boy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My daughter noticed that her pair of d'Anvers have been making a strange neck motion. After watching them, I noticed a young cream legbar doing the same thing. I was able to get a video of it.
Could this be early wry neck? It doesn't seem likely that the birds would come down with it all at once. Had anyone seen this before that can help me figure out what it is? Neurological, nutrition deficiency, disease?
They have all been on nutrena all flock with 20% protein but the store was out of it the last two weeks, so we were using Dumore layer feed (there really wasn't much choice). We are now back on the nutrena as of Wednesday. They have poultry cell (vitamins) in their water, hoping it will help them keep up their immunity. Nights have been cool (50s) and we haven't had much rain lately. Both the cockrel and the d'Anvers pullet are doing it, in addition to the CCL.

Adorable!

The neck movement looks like crop adjusting to me. I would check their crops first thing in the morning before they eat/drink to make sure they are empty.

It's not uncommon for a bird to do that when they have been eating, but if they are doing it a lot, then it's well worth checking out.

I too would get a good look at the poop. I noticed it in the video as well. Might be the transition of feeds and nothing to worry about, try to get a good look at overnight droppings too.

 

[azygous]

My friend @Wyorp Rock and I are on the same page with this being a crop thing. They may be just settling the crop contents after eating, or it could indicate a developing problem. It bears watching.

My question is what do the chicken have access to as far as grit? Do they scrounge and scratch for it when free ranging or do they have commercial grit available at all times to them in their run?

If left to find it while free ranging, have you given the gravel a close inspection to be certain it's suitable as grit? It's often assumed that chickens can find grit on their own for their digestive needs, but the reality may be that the grit in your soil isn't angular enough, but more on the rounded side which would make it unsuitable. It would be like replacing the blades in your garbage disposal with spoons. They wouldn't be capable of grinding much of anything.

A quick glance at your gravel in your soil with a hand lens will tell you if it's sharp or rounded.

 

[tn_artist]

My friend @Wyorp Rock and I are on the same page with this being a crop thing. They may be just settling the crop contents after eating, or it could indicate a developing problem. It bears watching.

My question is what do the chicken have access to as far as grit? Do they scrounge and scratch for it when free ranging or do they have commercial grit available at all times to them in their run?

If left to find it while free ranging, have you given the gravel a close inspection to be certain it's suitable as grit? It's often assumed that chickens can find grit on their own for their digestive needs, but the reality may be that the grit in your soil isn't angular enough, but more on the rounded side which would make it unsuitable. It would be like replacing the blades in your garbage disposal with spoons. They wouldn't be capable of grinding much of anything.

A quick glance at your gravel in your soil with a hand lens will tell you if it's sharp or rounded.

Where our AC condensation drips out makes a puddle they all like to drink from, no matter how clean their water is in the pen. It has been going on so long that the bottom of the puddle is clean sand, right below the drip. I have seen them pick at it, but will get some commercial grit just to be sure.