Abnormal Chicken - Unintentional Movements (⚠️)

[_Featherian]

Hello

This evening, I came to close my chickens back in their coop for the night. In my way, I see Coco, my dog-chicken, at the other side of the tall fence.

Very usual: no chicken managed to get behind it since we fixed the barrier.

So yeah, I come to take her with me, but something’s off…

Her neck is moving always on her right, unintentionally. I can clearly see that she isn’t doing the movements by her own.

What could be making this? These past months have been quite a mess for her tho; many other chickens are pulling every bit of her beautiful crest (she’s a Polish) and she doesn’t really seem to have friends. Her face also turned red over time, is that normal? It wasn’t red before.

Please help, I don’t want to loose her. I’ve lost already two of my dog-chickens.

Thanks

 

[LaFleche]

A few pictures of the bird might help us to develop some ideas.

Did you check her neck and body for anything that might got stuck in her plumage or body? Thorns or insects or even something leider like a thread...

Polish and other heavily crested breeds generally get pecked and have a hard time in flocks that consist of so-called normal non-crested breeds. Sometimes they even get scalped or pecked to death.

It would be best to keep her separate with some Polish company or rehome her to an all crested flock.

 

[_Featherian]

A few pictures of the bird might help us to develop some ideas.

Did you check her neck and body for anything that might got stuck in her plumage or body? Thorns or insects or even something leider like a thread...

Polish and other heavily crested breeds generally get pecked and have a hard time in flocks that consist of so-called normal non-crested breeds. Sometimes they even get scalped or pecked to death.

It would be best to keep her separate with some Polish company or rehome her to an all crested flock.

I don’t have any photos of her recently but I do have a very recent video of her on my TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7355084287420452129

I was with her for some time today and didn’t see anything usual, just that she does have lice… Could this be the cause ?

I don’t have a separate place for her and don’t have anymore any other breed like hers; the other breeds like hers died shortly, and our flock is full; we just got 10 ayam cemani hatched. I don’t know how we will do with even more.

 

[LaFleche]

I don’t have any photos of her recently but I do have a very recent video of her on my TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7355084287420452129

I was with her for some time today and didn’t see anything usual, just that she does have lice… Could this be the cause ?

I don’t have a separate place for her and don’t have anymore any other breed like hers; the other breeds like hers died shortly, and our flock is full; we just got 10 ayam cemani hatched. I don’t know how we will do with even more.

She might have lice because of the stress she is undergoing with the other chickens bullying her as this will prevent her from dustbathing properly.
Treat her accordingly and trim back her head feathers to allow for unobstructed view.
I think it would be in her best interest to find her a new home in an all-crested flock. It is no life for a chicken to always be bullied and pecked non stop by her flock mates.