please help: head shaking and head drifting and listless

[Wyorp Rock]

Chickens are notorious for hiding illness, so sometimes you really can't tell until they have really started to go down hill.

It's so hard to know what to do, only you can make the decision as to whether she is suffering or you need to continue to offer supportive care. Since she has always been smaller and hasn't seemed to grow, she may be just failing to thrive. Sometimes a chick can have a genetic or development disorder that they just cannot overcome.

I'm so very sorry, I don't know what else to suggest that you do. She is a little sweetheart. It's so heartbreaking, I know you have been doing everything you can for
her

 

[Eggcessive]

Your poor pullet seems to have neurological symptoms. Those can be a result of heredity, vitamin or mineral deficiency or an inability to utilize them, an underlying intestinal infection which may have contributed to her not growing and thriving, or she may just have brain damage. You have been so caring to her, and the videos have been helpful to others who will see them in years to come. Wyorp Rock has given very good advice in caring for her. We all have had chickens who just could not survive even with our help. Think about getting a necropsy (autopsy) if she dies, since that can be enlightening on what the problem may have been. Contact your state poultry vet beforehand, and refrigerate her body. Each state vet may differ on how in depth they go, but it can be a learning experience for you, and in turn for us. Take care, and thanks for sharing details about your girl.