Rooster acting strange...

[venusdc12]

So I opened my coop this morning and one of my Reds came out and as I was watching them run for water I noticed he kept not exactly shaking his head but doing a weird shake with a rotational component...to me it looks neurological but what could have caused it over night? Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Check his crop. It may be impacted. Chickens will often do that neck action when they have a crop disorder. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[BroodyMama2]

Are you talking about a kind of Stevie Wonder kind of head bob sort of? LOL I don't know how else to describe it. If so...both of my Roos do this every once in awhile, during the day and have for a couple months now since becoming mature. I assumed it to be normal Roo behavior. Kind of like how they stretch and flap their wings once in awhile every day too. They don't appear annoyed or in distress so... unless someone smarter than me on here says different...it probably belongs on the long list of weird things Roos do. Hehehehe
A chicken with something stuck in their crop, by the way, will 'yawn' and stretch their neck out, and they'll do it a LOT until they work it down.

 

[aart]

Are you talking about a kind of Stevie Wonder kind of head bob sort of? LOL I don't know how else to describe it.

Yeah...Wiggling the Wattles to entice the girls.

 

[BroodyMama2]

Yeah...Wiggling the Wattles to entice the girls.

Ahhhhh! Thank you. Makes sense. Pretty much everything my boys do is to entice the girls so.... I probably should've made that connection. LOL

 

[venusdc12]

Check his crop. It may be impacted. Chickens will often do that neck action when they have a crop disorder. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Great...but what do I do if it's impacted? Do I massage it a bit like if we had a stomach ache?

 

[venusdc12]

Are you talking about a kind of Stevie Wonder kind of head bob sort of? LOL I don't know how else to describe it. If so...both of my Roos do this every once in awhile, during the day and have for a couple months now since becoming mature. I assumed it to be normal Roo behavior. Kind of like how they stretch and flap their wings once in awhile every day too. They don't appear annoyed or in distress so... unless someone smarter than me on here says different...it probably belongs on the long list of weird things Roos do. Hehehehe
A chicken with something stuck in their crop, by the way, will 'yawn' and stretch their neck out, and they'll do it a LOT until they work it down.

Interesting! I've never noticed him do this before? he's going on 2 years old now so if it's to impress the girls would I have noticed that by now? He still was doing it this morning...I will watch to see if it's around the hens or when he's by himself...

 

[azygous]

Here's how to identify crop issues and treat them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[venusdc12]

Thank you!! He's doing it less so maybe it's working itself out! Thank you all for the feedback!

 

[Chickassan]

Poor guy, just trying to show off his accessories.