Weird chicken behavior, video in post. Help

[Newmotherhen89]

I could be paranoid but Iv also never seen a chicken do this... Could it be that she ate to fast and has something stuck in her throat? Has anyone ever seen this behavior before?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens will do a similar movement after eating to adjust the crop or the contents of it. She's acting like something is stuck or bothering her. Does she have access to grit? I would smell her mouth to see if there's a foul odor which might indicate a crop issue. Otherwise try looking down her throat.

 

[Eggcessive]

To me it looks neurological, similar to wry neck. I have seen other threads before with chickens having that funny neck movement in a circular movement and some with a back and forth movement of the neck. Wry neck can be a symptom of a head injury or a neurological condition from inflammation of the brain that can be a symptom of Mareks disease, lymphoid leukosis, or other infectious diseases. I would give her poultry vitamins and a bit of chopped egg which would supply vitamin E and selenium, which is the usual treatment. Poultry Nutri-drench or Poultry Cell tonics contain both vitamins E and selenium, and the dosage is 2-3 ml orally every day.

 

[Newmotherhen89]

thank you so much, She did get into the cat food for the peacocks today. which usually isn't a problem, but maybe a big chunk got lodge in her throat. she is drinking and i tested her by throwing down meal worms to see if she would eat, and she ate some....
I only have dirt, rocks, grass and things like that in their area, but when you say grit, do you mean sand? if so, i don't really have sand, but i do have finely crushed walnut shells and sand that's for a lizard tank. would one of those work? iv had chickens for a year this month now and have never run into this problem so this is very new to me.

thanks for your help!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They actually sell grit, small rocks used to grind up their food in the gizzard, most chickens find enough if they have access to gravel. If it continues I would try what Eggcessive suggested.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, sometimes it is hard to distinguish between a crop problem and a neck problem, so here are some threads to read if you wish about similar chickens:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=weird+neck+movements
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html

 

[chitownhens]

I would say it's normal. I have a hen that will do exactly the same thing every now and then especially after eating cracked corn.

 

[Newmotherhen89]

thanks again for your replies. she ended up being fine the next day! thanks for the advice. And I learned about Wry Neck after reading about it online. thanks for all the information guys!

 

[debigag]

I have a very similar issue with my hen. I actually have 2 pet hens who are not eating, are lethargic. One has pure liquid very foul smelling poo. The other one is holding her neck a bit odd and shaking it very much like the video....almost like she is trying to dislodge something. I massaged her neck and crop (it is empty) I gave her some water through a latex glove with a hole and she did swallow some. They are just sitting under the heat lamp, not wanting to move around and hunched somewhat. Both have ruffed feathers, no interest in food. I have some clindamycin here, could I try a bit of that in the event the event they have a bacterial gut issue?? They are separated fro the other 3. They'll be 5 years old in July and they stopped laying 2 years ago. They used to be free range until the Borough (who first said chickens were OK) changed their minds and said no birds, so they are hidden behind wooden fenced 16'x16' pen and they have an enclosed coop as well. There are 5 total hens, all same age. They eat a mix of whatever greens grow in their yard area as well as kitchen scraps and scratch, layer crumbles(had a 60 pound bag to finish before I got non-layer). I cook eggs, rice as well. They snack on sunflower, cat food (as occassional treat), mealworms(dried). They were wormed last summer but I don't know how well it worked. The tractor supply sales girl was kind of useless with helping me get the right product. Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would ask your question in the disease forum, you may get better help.