The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: plumseverywhere on January 25, 2011, 03:01:36 pm

Title: strange neck movements
Post by: plumseverywhere on January 25, 2011, 03:01:36 pm

One of my speckeldys has taken to doing weird things with her neck, I can only describe it as being like bodypopping or something michael jackson might have done. she sort of moves her neck in a big circle, looks like she has a sore throat and can't swallow with it hurting BUT she is swallowing - eating normally, scratching around well, drinking, laying not looking miserable. the crop feels normal, looks normal, no bitter smells from her beak or any other symptoms.
any ideas what could be wrong?

Title: Re: strange neck movements
Post by: OhLaLa on January 25, 2011, 03:16:28 pm

My first three thoughts:

Can you see her tongue ok?

Could be a fine blockage - something tiny or sharp stuck and irritating her. Try giving a little vegetable oil to see if that helps the blockage move.

Gape worms - which are picked up from infected earth worms. They attach themselves to the trachea and the male and female intertwine permanently and begin to reproduce. The entire time from when the chicken ingests the earthworm to the time the adult worms attach to the trachea is 7 days.
The eggs that they lay are coughed up into the mouth of the bird, then swallowed and passed out in the droppings. Nip down to see your vet and he should be able to give you some med (poss Fubanvet) for her.

 :chook:

Title: Re: strange neck movements
Post by: katie on January 25, 2011, 05:39:24 pm

I've got some Flubenvet if you want to worm them.You only need a bit and it costs a fortune to buy a tub!

Title: Re: strange neck movements
Post by: plumseverywhere on January 25, 2011, 06:41:04 pm

Thanks for replies  :)  they've not long been done with flubenvet so was hoping it wouldn't be worm related. will look for her tongue tomorrow in daylight then.
she's been doing it on and off for a while, strange thing.

Title: Re: strange neck movements
Post by: Hardfeather on January 25, 2011, 06:50:25 pm

Some feeds will cause hens to do the sort of thing you describe. Some hens find pellets difficult to swallow, and grass does it for others. It is a way to assist the food down into the crop.

Title: Re: strange neck movements
Post by: darkbrowneggs on January 28, 2011, 11:57:56 am

Open the beak and look down the throat.  I had a cockerel from another breeder and it turned out to have throat canker.  It show as a yellowish sort of growth towards the back of the throat.

Apparently it is rife in pigeons and can be caught from wild birds sharing drinking water.  Fortunately he was in quarantine.

All the best
Sue