Hen head twitches

[Kelllynnl]

i have 9 chickens that I hatched they are almost 6 months old.the moms are red sex links and the dads were a mix(idk). A few lay blue or green eggs and all the girls have started laying in the last 3 weeks. I noticed a few of them started twitching their heads about 2 weeks ago. I have one that I hear the odd sneeze from and she seems to be twitching the most. They are all eating and drinking. They get fresh water 2x a day and every other day I put some avc in. I’ also give oatmeal with some garlic and a few drops of ooo. I buy non gmo food however the last bag I bought has been grower and I have a separate container with oyster shells. I brought said chicken in today and gave her a bath and checked her for lice and mites and didn’t see anything. Any advice what this could be? Video of her twitching https://instagram.com/p/BfUFuPRhWWp/

 

[azygous]

Is she scratching her head? Does she have any bubbles in her eyes? How about a discharge from her nares (nostrils)?

If she's scratching at her head, she may have something in her ear. Pull back the flap and look in the ear hole with a flashlight. Sometimes a hair or sliver of grass gets caught inside. If you see nothing, put one drop of mineral oil in each ear. Sometimes it's just a case of itchy ear that makes a chicken twitch their head.

Another thing that can make a chicken twitch their head is getting it wet when they drink. They hate having a wet head. Or look closely for lice or mites. Look around the vent. If you see them there, they are all over the chicken and you need to treat with a poultry dust like permethrin.

 

[Kelllynnl]

Ok I’ll bring her back in and observe her longer. I know for sure there’s no bubbles or discharge from her nose (although I do hear a bit of sneezing). I checked a bunch of spots yesterday for mites and was - but I will recheck to be sure and check out her ears. Is sevin dust ok to use instead of permethrin? Our local stores carry almost nothing that anyone hear recommends . Thanks for all your suggestions

 

[Skipper81]

I think ACV every other day is more than needed. I give it to my flock once a week
You can check around her vent it's pretty easy to spot lice there with a light

 

[Kelllynnl]

Ok I’ll check really good around her vent. We have high powered flashlights thanks to my hubbies flashlight obsession. I hope she doesn’t feel too violated and less ACV

 

[Skipper81]

I'm going to talk with the wife to see what she thinks about using ACV because I found an article that says it don't apply to my flock I change there water twice a day
Here's a link and just something I thought you'd be interested in
Not that it has to do with your girls head shaking I hope you find out what that is today
Sometimes I wish my birds could tell me what's going on when there not feeling well
http://blog.chickenwaterer.com/2012/12/dont-use-apple-cider-vinegar-acv-in.html?m=1

 

[Kelllynnl]

Good read thanks! I have two waterers I change out in the morning and night and clean them with soap every 2-3 days so they are getting plenty of good clean water. I just went out and noticed a handful of them are twitching I’m going to wait until this afternoon after they are done laying and bring in the few of them that are super friendly so I can thouroughly check them for lice or mites. If one has it that’s gotta be the reason. I kinda hope it is would be easier to treat than a resp disease. Will keep updated

 

[azygous]

I recommend you go to your profile page and select "account" and fill in your location. We sure can glean a lot of clues to what could be going on with a flock from knowing a poster's location. For example, if you're in Africa, we might suggest that mosquitoes could be contributing to the issue we're trying to address.

 

[Skipper81]

Don't get me wrong I don't think ACV can cause twitching
I'm guessing you are using raw unfiltered

 

[Kelllynnl]

Yes I am. I checked 2 fluffy butts and didn’t see anything . Could it hurt to give them a dusting anyway? I have de on hand atm