Chicken backing away and pawing at chest (running backwards)

[sunflowa20]

Please help figure out what is wrong with our chicken. I have tried to look online but not found anything that explains this behaviour.

Chicken is eating and drinking. Approx 8 months old. No other chickens showing the same symptoms.

Seems fine in itself but keeps pawing at its chest/crop. And randomly starts running backwards. Usually when eating but not always.

Fasted the chicken overnight and crop was empty and flat and felt fine. We checked its throat and can’t see anything stuck.

I have attached a video, hopefully someone has seen this before and can help. This surely can’t be pleasant at all. I just hope it’s fixable. Thank you!!

 

[ChasingChooks]

How long has this been going on? Never seen that before. Hope someone can help!

 

[LaFleche]

For 8 months old she looks rather pale.

Since when does she lay eggs if at all?

I can hear a gurgling sound in your video, does it stem from her?

How does her poop look?

When did you last deworm? If you haven't already this would be the first thing to do.

Did you recently add new birds to your flock?

Inspect her neck for anything that might pinch into her skin this could even be her own pin feathers in case she is still not done with her last juvenile moult.

Do you have a rooster with her flock?

 

[sunflowa20]

For 8 months old she looks rather pale.

Since when does she lay eggs if at all?

I can hear a gurgling sound in your video, does it stem from her?

How does her poop look?

When did you last deworm? If you haven't already this would be the first thing to do.

Did you recently add new birds to your flock?

Inspect her neck for anything that might pinch into her skin this could even be her own pin feathers in case she is still not done with her last juvenile moult.

Do you have a rooster with her flock?

Her poop looks normal
It’s my fathers flock but he has dewormed
Nothing of note by her neck. No large pin feathers or anything odd like that
No eggs yet I believe. Although it’s hard to tell when she is with her flock
And yes we have a rooster but she is separated at the moment
And ye that sound comes from her!

 

[sunflowa20]

How long has this been going on? Never seen that before. Hope someone can help!

Apparently 3 days

 

[LaFleche]

Her poop looks normal
It’s my fathers flock but he has dewormed
Nothing of note by her neck. No large pin feathers or anything odd like that
No eggs yet I believe. Although it’s hard to tell when she is with her flock
And yes we have a rooster but she is separated at the moment
And ye that sound comes from her!

Here is what I would do:

#Prepare a tea with fennel, thyme and oregano and let it sit for at least one hour before serving instead of water.
Prepare fresh every day.

#Feed her some scrambled eggs with rolled fine oats and millet adding half a tablet of vitamin B complex. In case she refuses to eat it, just open her beak gently tugging at the wattles and slip the tablet right in. She will swallow as soon as you let go of her wattles.

#Give her vitamin E one capsule per day for 7-10 consecutive days. Scrambled eggs contain some selenium which will help with the uptake.

All the above in addition to her normal layer feed.

#Check the coop carefully for mites. This is best done at night as the parasites will come out of the crevices to feed on the chickens sucking their blood.
Use double-sided strips of adhesive tape on the underside of the roosts so any mite trying to get to the chickens will get stuck to the tape.

In case you find mites, treat accordingly.

Does she have free access to granite grit and crushed oyster shells?

 

[sunflowa20]

Here is what I would do:

#Prepare a tea with fennel, thyme and oregano and let it sit for at least one hour before serving instead of water.
Prepare fresh every day.

#Feed her some scrambled eggs with rolled fine oats and millet adding half a tablet of vitamin B complex. In case she refuses to eat it, just open her beak gently tugging at the wattles and slip the tablet right in. She will swallow as soon as you let go of her wattles.

#Give her vitamin E one capsule per day for 7-10 consecutive days. Scrambled eggs contain some selenium which will help with the uptake.

All the above in addition to her normal layer feed.

#Check the coop carefully for mites. This is best done at night as the parasites will come out of the crevices to feed on the chickens sucking their blood.
Use double-sided strips of adhesive tape on the underside of the roosts so any mite trying to get to the chickens will get stuck to the tape.

In case you find mites, treat accordingly.

Does she have free access to granite grit and crushed oyster shells?

This is amazingly helpful thank you.
They are all free range and have about an acre to scratch around. We don’t have crushed oyster shells but plenty of grit for them to pick up while scratching around.

 

[ChasingChooks]

Good luck! Keep us updated!

 

[sunflowa20]

An update as requested. She is still making that strange sound. Still backing away and pawing at her chest.

She is eating and drinking though and although still skinny, she does not seem any worse.

 

[LaFleche]

We don’t have crushed oyster shells but plenty of grit for them

While grit is important for their ability to digest, they need to have unlimited access to source of calcium like crushed oyster shells or similar.