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So glad she's ok. Probably just some big egg stress.

My RIR rooster is doing the same like they are swirling their head no scratching.

Hi Did U find out why he doesn't this

I tried hatching a few with the air bubbles but they didn't make it (died around day ~12 if I recall correctly). Possibly because the shell was too porous and allowed bacteria in, or maybe because there was no internal membrane which would have interfered with blood vessel development.

It was fertile. But the several that I tried hatching did not survive till hatching.

yeah they open there mouths wide then close it the do whatever i dont know if its gapeworm or yawning

I think they are, because none of the eggs with these bubbles ever hatched. The shell was also very porous, probably allowing bacteria to kill the embryo easily.

See my comment above. Your response was what prompted me to do my experiment. Thank you so much. :) I never noticed my other chickens, standard size, doing it. I'll have to watch them closely when I speak to them.

The final thing i was thinking that it could be was something in their ears, but i wasnt able to see anything. No bugs or dirty feathers. I am still trying to figure it out.

@@leogiberson5046 Be sure to read my comment above. :)

I have an EE doing the same thing, and she's staying by herself, we also think she's blind because she walks into things! She shakes her head, but I noticed also when I call her name and talk to her she shakes it more frequently, I don't know what's going on with her, shes, eating, drinking and think shes still laying! Any answers would be greatly appreciated!

@tsinay40 I found that using a pour on ivermectin works the best. It will kill lice, mites and any internal worms and parasites.

Yes, that can certainly be a cause. In my case, bugs was not the issue as it wasn't quite mosquito season yet where I live. Glad to hear your birds are finally getting some reprieve!

Is head shaking the only symptom? Check down his throat for gapeworm, white patches or other abnormalities. There is a forum called backyardchickens.com, I highly recommend creating an account there immediately and posting a thread about your chicken in the "Emergencies / Injuires / Diseases and Cures" section. Here is a link: www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/ There are people far more experienced and helpful than I who will help you there. Be sure to include as much information as you can -- a video would be especially helpful.

@Ameena Shaz, I am not sure exactly what is causing this, possibly something respiratory? Your chicks sound like they need immediate help, there is a forum on backyardchickens.com titled "Emergencies, Diseases, Injuries and Cures" -- post there and you should get a fairly quick response. I would include a video as well or at least some photos.

Here is a link to the forum: www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

Hey Kyle! Did you look down their throats for gapeworm? I'm sure you already know this, but gapeworm looks like a Y and will be visible at the back of the throats. You can also send a sample to your state lab or a willing veterinarian to run a fecal test for confirmation. Occasional yawning (not continuous gaping) is normal, as is shaking of the head.

@@mariebethell7517 I have. There’s nothing visible. I decided to do the deworming for good measure, but I also started my girls on Denagard and I’m noticing improvements. The head shaking has reduced 60-70%, comb color is more consistent, poop is no longer runny, and I haven’t seen the outstretched neck gaping nearly as much. I lost a hen back in March and I had my suspicions it was CRD. However, it was my first time encountering it and not all the symptoms were present. Three more days of Denagard and I’m hoping we’re past this. I’ll just end up doing a preventive dose monthly.

​@@Kyle-it9zj Hmmm... What were the symptoms of the hen you lost back in March? What you're describing in your flock now sounds more like worms than CRD... perhaps capillary worms. Since you're treating for both at the same time it's hard to tell what medication is having more affect. Glad to hear your hens are getting better though. If you lose anymore, definitely consider sending one in to your state lab for necropsy and testing. They will test for MG as well as all species of worms that affect chickens. Or consider doing a necropsy yourself. While it won't have potentially needed labaratory testing, you might be able to see worms if that is what you're dealing with. Wishing the best to you and your flock :)

@@mariebethell7517 The hen I lost initially started occasionally sneezing back in November. I treated with VetRX and the symptoms subsided. Then in February the sneezing started again and she’d occasionally gape her beak. A few days later she was wheezing and railing. I started treating her for gapeworm with Safeguard, but her symptoms only continued. Her crop was fine, no visible worms, but I didn’t notice some purple lines on her tongue. Then her comb got real dark and she stopped eating. I fed her wet mash for two days and she’d gradually eat some. Kept a heat lamp about her cage to keep the temp up around 87. This all during the time I’m waiting for antibiotics to arrive. She laid eggs every day up until her last, which is so weird. Unfortunately she ended up dying in my arms. I’m amazed she lasted as long as she did as quickly as it accelerated. The only other thing I noticed hindsight is a photo a few days before death she had some swelling in her face, but very mild. The only thing I can figure is if it really was worms. My remaining girls seem to be responding well. I haven’t noticed any gaping; just mouth breathing from the heat. I went ahead and sanitized their coop again today to kill of any bacteria and changed their bedding over to hemp since it’s lower dust than pine. Lord willing this takes care of it.

Hey Carlos! "Someone told you" or did you read it on a forum thread - a thread I think I've seen but can't pull up the link. There are 7 species of Coccidia that infect chickens but all of them live in the intestine, so it's unlikely that they would cause head shaking (a symptom usually resulting from irritation in the ear, throat or neurological condition). Unless you are seeing the typical symptoms of coccidiosis (which are paleness, assuming a hunched position, blood in the stool and others) it's probably not it. I would wait and see if your chickens develop any other symptoms. If not, it's probably normal!

Yes! I meant to make a video update, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I wound up submitting 2 birds for necropsy and testing to the UC Davis lab. The pathologists there didn't find anything other than some mild intestinal necrosis (one of them was stunted) and some lymphocytal infiltrates, again very mild and not unusual. I decided to send them this video to help with further diagnosis, and after consulting some experts in poultry behavior, they concluded it was normal! However, I would still recommend checking your flock over for external parasites (such as mites) and looking carefully into their ears. I wouldn't worry about it if head shaking is the only symptom, but if you start seeing other issues it may be worth investigating further.

Thank you for this! My girls have been doing this lately. I wasn’t sure if it was new or I’m just paying closer attention after we lost one a few months ago to a vitamin deficiency. Same as you, they’re otherwise totally fine, happy, laying well, eating and drinking well. Just shaking their heads lol

I am glad I found this, my silkie isn't even a week old, was incubator hatched and is the only one doing it. She otherwise seems very healthy, smaller the the other chicks but runs, jumps, plays, eats, poops and breathes completely normal. Is quite spunky as her personality develops (i say her because she already has wing feathers and doesn't stand really upright). I have been worried and read a lot of silkies do it but I would rather be too cautious then miss something. Thank you!

No, none of them died. I sent them for testing due to preemptive concern, since I have just begun upscaling my breeding operation and wanted to catch anything potentially dangerous early. What I have noticed is that some birds (in particular one of my Buff Orpington roosters and his offspring) seem to shake their heads more than others, and some hardly shake at all. My younger flock, which makes up most of the population, seems to have improved, though I still see the occasional twitch often accompanied by head scratching.

Yes! I meant to make a video update, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I wound up submitting 2 birds for necropsy and testing to the UC Davis lab. The pathologists there didn't find anything other than some mild intestinal necrosis (one of them was stunted) and some lymphocytal infiltrates, again very mild and not unusual. I decided to send them this video to help with further diagnosis, and after consulting some experts in poultry behaviour, they concluded it was normal! However, I would still recommend checking your flock over for external parasites (such as mites) and looking carefully into their ears. I wouldn't worry about it if head shaking is the only symptoms, but if you start seeing other issues it may be worth investigating further.

I've updated the description of the video with the conclusion of the case.

That's hilarious, thanks for sharing! When I was a kid, I once filled a trash bag with acetylene-oxygen and never attempted the feat again until just this New Year's (with much smaller balloons). More than satisfying.