why do chickens rub their face on the ground?

[flyppr2002]

My Rhode Island Red died today and right before he did he was rubbing his face on the ground. I wonder if this was a symptom. He'd been acting quiet lately, hasn't been crowing for a couple weeks and just fell over and died.

 

[La Mike]

Cant say I could give you a definate but it sounds like he had an issue . Unless they are dustin they generally dont rub their face on the ground.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[welasharon]

Had you checked him for mites or lice. If they get too bad they can kill them and they could be shaking their heads or rubbing them to help with the itchiing.
sharon

 

[dbounds10]

I dont know if this is the same but, everytime mine eat, they wipe their beaks on the ground like wiping their faces.

 

[Kathleen1115]

Mine wipe their faces on the ground when they've been eating, especially when I give them yogurt.

 

[alhanse77]

It is a behavior called bill-wipe that most birds do to clean their beaks. Wild birds wipe their bills on tree branches.

 

[Snegurochka]

Maybe he had a cold and was wiping his nose. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a symptom of whatever he had (unless it was his head he was rubbing and not his beak).

 

[chickened]

He was most likely cleaning his bill of who knows what maybe a discharge I mean could be anything that he did not want on his bill. It is normal sick or not sick.