Chicken " GOOSE STEP "

[Katiee]

My Blackrock has recently developed this weird way of walking....I have read about it before but I've forgotten what the explanation was!! Can anyone help? Thanks

[kitla]

I've heard of this, I hope its not anything to do with mareks. It may be worth
checking her legs & feet for scaly leg mite or bumblefoot.

[perchy]

I think I read it could be a vitamin deficiency, at least you could try looking it up

[KathJ]

OMG We have a girl who walks like that sometimes, we thought she was just being funny. I never even considered it could be something more serious. Have you managed to find out any more Katiee?

[Katiee]

" You pays your money & takes your choice " as the old & wise saying goes.....!! My research on the subject stretches from causes such as Tenosynovitis ( otherwise known as inflammation of the tendons ) which is more common in older birds, to hip dislocation or even arthritis... Suggested treatments start with giving the lady a good inspection of the legs & feet ( which in the case of my girl could result in a panic attack for both of us, since she is very flighty and anti tactile.... ). Also, a vit supplement is recommended. So, I may try that. She doesn't always walk strangely, but I do notice that when she runs, she seems to "bounce" from her hips if you know what I mean ? !!

[sandy]

I lost my Iris on friday, had her for 4 years and ten months past point of lay so she was well over 5 years old. She did the goose step most of her life plus she walked backwards more than forward and apart from unrelated problems over 4 and a half years (eyes,cold) she was the healthiest and liveliest of girls so don't worry too much

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi ,I had one do this walk in sideways circles etc. I think moulting was the cause . Is she going to or doing a moult ..Maybe a early warning to feed her extra .
Bob

[KathJ]

Hopefully it's nothing too serious then but maybe keep an extra eye open. We call it her Basil Fawlty walk Our oldest girl Speckle does the sideways drunken old man walk when she's moulting which is really heavy and knocks her for 6 for the past two years. Fingers crossed it looks like she may be getting away without a full moult this year as she's usually really bad around this time!

[Katiee]

Actually my girl is moulting and has lost quite a few wing feathers in the past week or so. The other two are moulting also, so everyone gets sympathy...Chucks aren't big into losing out to anyone else, eh?? Thanks Kath, I will watch her ( I even managed a tiny cuddle with her today, though she made it clear EXACTLY what she thought of that...)

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi Minnie today walked in a circlular motion like a drunk . Moulting . plenty of goodies to help .
Hope it is the problem. not stopping her eating.
Bob

[kitla]

I think it was last year several DTLers had chooks that behaved oddly during the
molt. My own Giblet did too, so when someone suggested it could be a deficiency
I got some nutridrops for her water & I saw an improvement in her very soon.
Now I always add some to the water when there's a big molt. Worth a try.

[KarenE]

My little Ronnie came to me in the middle of a very big and drawn out moult, she couldn't walk in a straight line bless her, she had the turning circle of a bus. Staggered around all over the place. I sussed out it was protein deficiency quite quickly - apart from the look of her (!) as soon as I put her in the run on her first day she started hoovering up all the odd feathers lying about - a sure sign of protein deficiency.

A short course of mealworms, sunflower seeds, sardines and scrambled eggs soon sorted her out. As Kitla says, nutridrops would be good

Moulting takes an awful lot out of them,

[Intheshed]

I was made redundant from my post as an engineer at 57, and did something totally different for 8 years - I became a window cleaner!

One of my jobs was at a farmhouse, [30 windows, cleaned with a pole, once per month]

There was a grass field along one side of the house, about one acre, all fenced off, and with the biggest chicken shed that I've ever seen, probably 35 or 40 feet long, and the free ranging flock numbered 90, I was told.

I used to park the van adjacent to the field - have you ever seen nearly one hundred chickens running towards you?

It has to be one of the funniest sights I've ever seen - they got no knee's, and they appear to be running with straight legs, {"Goosestepping", but at high speed], I wish that I'd been able to video them!

John