Strange/Unexplained Head Ailment

Feathers & Friends

Chirping
5 Years
Apr 4, 2018
31
12
85
As a hatchling I noticed some very disturbing behavior...one of the chicks was letting out this loud screech...I would run to see what was happening and one of the chicks looked like it was having some type of seizure....So I picked it up and it would snap out of it. I started observing the chick to see what was happening...
20200630_021303.jpg
20200630_021250.jpg

It would appear normal...maybe eating or something...then all the sudden the chick would flip on its back...I started to notice that it seemed to be brought on by an itch to its head...It would scratch so hard that it would keep going until it flipped over. It wasn't until I put some vitamin e oil on its head that I noticed a strange lump pictured in the above 2 pictures...
20200715_012505.jpg
But as the chick got older its "spasms" or itching became less drastic and less frequent. The first couple weeks of it hatching the episodes were so bad that I was shocked it lived...often finding it on its back or on its side with its eyes closed or looking "glazed over or rolled back". But then it just almost went away. At the same time my poultry business had taken off and I was crazy busy with shipments, orders, hatches, deliveries, etc. So I spent less and less time with him. He is a beautiful chocolate and red frizzled serama so "his ailment" also gave me an excuse to keep him :) Fast forward and....
20201019_200156.jpg


I have a beautiful healthy frizzled rooster. Although I started to notice his feathering was sparce and thin compared to any seramas I had...frizzled, silkied...standard, etc. In particular his head...Since I was under the assumption he grew out of whatever he had going on as a chick...I decided to catch him to treat his baldness. It had been a while since I held him so he became mildly distressed catching him. But then I picked him up and his eyes kinda rolled back and he started gasping for air. This totally alarmed me as the stress of catching and holding him looked like it was causing severe distress on a physical level.

Then I started to keep an even closer eye on him......

At a far lesser degree and at less frequent occurrences...the same activity was still occurring. Normal activity would be taking place..then "an itch" that always stopped whatever he was doing...eating, approaching a female...he would stop and feverishly scratch sometimes tipping over and catching himself. The episodes were very quick which also explains why I missed them.

3 MONTHS AFTER THE LAST PICTURE ABOVE.....

His feathers have grown in and he is fluffed out(sorry no pictures!)and fully feathered like the rest of my chickens, even most of his head feathers- thinner but grown in. But thats NOT the craziest part!! He is the dominant rooster now. I tried reintroducing his father the previous dominant rooster and he almost killed him!! I watched them fight assuming a surrender would happen...and I noticed throughout his fiģhting he would stop and scratch his head for a few seconds. Even as he was looking the other rooster in the eyes. It was like a sneeze...when it came he stopped no matter what. So..WHAT ON EARTH COULD THIS BE!?!? ideas, links, discussions, thank you....

THIS WHOLE THINGS IS CRAZY TO ME!! What in the world is wrong with him?????
 
Last edited:
Does he have a soft spot anywhere on his head, like where the bubble was?I’m certainly no expert, but I’m thinking it might be some kind of hydrocephalus or something and perhaps it caused a gap in his skull? When he scratches it hits a soft area that causes the episode maybe. As far as what triggers him to itch, I’d guess he moves a certain way and it presses or pulls something that distressed him. I agree with the above, I would not breed him, and I certainly wouldn’t sell his offspring to others.
 
I couldn't begin to guess what he might be suffering from, but I agree with the others who mentioned not breeding this fellow, and I certainly hope he hasn't been included in any breeding projects you've sold eggs or chicks from. Personally, if he were mine and I knew who his parents were, I wouldn't pair them either without knowing if he was suffering from a genetic issue or a possible head trauma. But that's just my two cents. I hope someone who's seen this before comes along to help you figure out the mystery! Good luck!
 
I haven't bred him or sold any offspring, but before I curse him to a life of solitude, ban him from mating for life, or cull a bird I want to know exactly what im dealing with.... Would be a shame to give a bird a life sentence if its mearly a parasite, head trauma, or vitamin deficiency that has 0 genetic components. Thank you for the breeding pointers but I posted this to find answers, resources, and referals to help diagnosis the issue. @FloorCandy is the first responder to give insight on possibilities, thank you!!! I haven't done a close inspection of his head since he was a chick, so that is an excellent idea. I will post what I find out!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom