Odd behavior

[cowboy bob]

Hi I have a couple hens that are broody. Today went to look for eggs and one was swaying it’s head back and forth like it was crazy. Looked at its eyes, clear and normal any clues.

 

[coach723]

A video might be helpful. You can post to you tube or other host and put the link here.
Is this one of the broody hens? How old? She is sitting on eggs, what day? Since they don't tend to eat and drink well, a vitamin deficiency is possible. I would give her a B complex tablet (regular, not time release) ground up in some feed every day. Riboflavin and thiamine in particular can cause some odd neurological symptoms if they are deficient. I would probably go ahead and give her some E also, with a bit of cooked egg for selenium if the E doesn't already contain it (the selenium helps with the uptake of the E), since E deficiency can result in wry neck. I would also give some fluids to make sure she's hydrated. I know, if she's sitting you don't want to mess with her too much, but she's also at risk of damaging the eggs if she's having problems. Other possibilities would be getting a hold of something toxic, or disease. I've had hens during molt act kind of drunk and walk sideways and a dose or two of the B complex usually takes care of it. I would work in short spurts with her and put her back on the nest if you can, to not upset her too much. Your judgement, since you can see her and how she is.

 

[cowboy bob]

A video might be helpful. You can post to you tube or other host and put the link here.
Is this one of the broody hens? How old? She is sitting on eggs, what day? Since they don't tend to eat and drink well, a vitamin deficiency is possible. I would give her a B complex tablet (regular, not time release) ground up in some feed every day. Riboflavin and thiamine in particular can cause some odd neurological symptoms if they are deficient. I would probably go ahead and give her some E also, with a bit of cooked egg for selenium if the E doesn't already contain it (the selenium helps with the uptake of the E), since E deficiency can result in wry neck. I would also give some fluids to make sure she's hydrated. I know, if she's sitting you don't want to mess with her too much, but she's also at risk of damaging the eggs if she's having problems. Other possibilities would be getting a hold of something toxic, or disease. I've had hens during molt act kind of drunk and walk sideways and a dose or two of the B complex usually takes care of it. I would work in short spurts with her and put her back on the nest if you can, to not upset her too much. Your judgement, since you can see her and how she is.

 

[cowboy bob]

A video might be helpful. You can post to you tube or other host and put the link here.
Is this one of the broody hens? How old? She is sitting on eggs, what day? Since they don't tend to eat and drink well, a vitamin deficiency is possible. I would give her a B complex tablet (regular, not time release) ground up in some feed every day. Riboflavin and thiamine in particular can cause some odd neurological symptoms if they are deficient. I would probably go ahead and give her some E also, with a bit of cooked egg for selenium if the E doesn't already contain it (the selenium helps with the uptake of the E), since E deficiency can result in wry neck. I would also give some fluids to make sure she's hydrated. I know, if she's sitting you don't want to mess with her too much, but she's also at risk of damaging the eggs if she's having problems. Other possibilities would be getting a hold of something toxic, or disease. I've had hens during molt act kind of drunk and walk sideways and a dose or two of the B complex usually takes care of it. I would work in short spurts with her and put her back on the nest if you can, to not upset her too much. Your judgement, since you can see her and how she is.

 

[cowboy bob]

Two years old no eggs have a video but don’t know how to send

 

[coach723]

Video has to be uploaded to another host, youtube or something else, and the link put here, then it can be seen.
So not sitting on eggs, but has been broody? How long?

 

[cowboy bob]

 

[coach723]

I would definitely try the vitamins and see if you get any improvement.
Have you ever had Marek's disease in your flock? Do you know if they were vaccinated?
Any possibilities that they, or she, had any access at all to anything toxic? Leaking fluid from vehicles, moldy feed, etc? Just trying to cover all the possibilities. Since vitamin deficiencies are not uncommon, and can have weird symptoms, I would start there, and it won't do any harm. I would also consider crating her, with symptoms like this she is probably at risk of being attacked or injured by another bird. And that way you can monitor her droppings, see if they are normal or not, and help her to eat and drink. You may have to hand feed her if she's unable to feed herself. You can mix the regular feed with some water to make a mash, and that will help with hydration also. I would still try to get some fluids in her too, may take a bit of time.

 

[cowboy bob]

Never had Mareks and none of my flock have been vaccinated. She’s been setting for most of a week. I was trying to put them out to forage but they just went back. After your first post I gave two drops of E. Will give water and egg. I did give them all a little boiled chicken meat the other day but the rest of the flock seem fin. No rooster so have been taking there eggs.

 

[coach723]

For the E, 400iu capsule daily is the dose. If they are not going to hatch eggs then it's best to break them. They don't eat and drink well, and it's hard on them, so no reason to let them go through it if they aren't going to raise babies. Some hens will go broody more than once a year, so it may have to be repeated. I only let mine sit once a year, so break them all other times. Just use a wire crate raised up on bricks or boards so air can circulate all around them (this helps cool their bodies), no bedding or nesting material at all, their own food and water. They stay there until they change their mind. Most hens will stop in 2 or 3 days, some take longer. If you let them out and they go back to the nest box, then back in the crate for another day or two. Examples below: