Newbie question - odd chicken behaviour?

[jersey bean]

I have had my hens for 2 weeks, they were point of lay and we are just now getting 6 a day.

In the past few days one of the hens has started doing this odd 'head bob' side to side, from the shoulder. She also does this 'sleepy hen' bit, where suddenly she stops mid-walk and closes her eyes for at least 5 seconds (i know the feeling, mind you).

Is this normal?

thanks

[lynda66]

dunno if its normal, but would you have noticed it, if you weren't spending every spare moment looking adoringly at your newly acquired baby girls??

[armadillo]

If they're active, and eating normally, I'm sure they're fine.
Mine close their eyes for a few seconds occasionally, usually during preening. In the hour or so before bedtime two of them are prone to strut up and down the run walls in a Jaggeresqe manner, whilst executing a strange headbob. I think they're checking for visible predators before going to bed, but it's just a theory.

[sunflower]

I think it is the long days and the hens get worn out and have forty winks. However, recently, Alice...yes, mine all have names! has been taking herself off to bed about 30 minutes before the others. Sensible girl!

[jersey bean]

An update. My sleepy hen was still looking slightly out of sorts, her crop seemed bigger (altho its not easy to tell - shes 'fluffier' than the rest) so I took her to the vet on Saturday. He agreed her crop was larger than normal, flushed her crop and found nothing unusual and gave her an antibiotic injection.

She is still out of sorts, not as lively as the others, altho last night she was chasing a grasshopper and moved pretty fast then. She is now doing a pronounced head bob, and a diagonal head bob, where she stretches out her neck to one side, then the other. She is still eating, drinking and laying.

One - has anyone any ideas
Two - how long do i leave her before taking her back to the vet?

Help!

[k77rkm]

names: all ours have names: Ham (for chicken and ham pie), Leek (yep, for chicken and leek pie) and tinkerbell - guess which one our 9 year old named ?... not that we would be able to eat them.

[privatehire]

dont worry too much, if she gets worse then take her back. She might just need a tonic(pick-me-up)