Chickens are curious creatures and they do a lot of things that confuse, and even worry, us humans, one such thing is a chicken being stuck on her back.
This article explores why your bird may be doing this
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Chicken stuck on back:
A change in how your chicken is behaving will surely have you questioning what the issue with your bird is, one such change is a bird stuck on its back.
Here is why this may be happening with your bird:
Tonic immobility:
One reason why your bird may be stuck on its back and can’t get up is a phenomenon called tonic immobility.
Birds in the wild aren’t usually on their backs, the only time that a chicken would be on its back is if it were caught by a predator and placed on the ground.
The bird may have fallen and, now has tonic immobility, or may have been placed down by a predator and has tonic immobility.
If put down by a predator, the bird will stay in this position for a while to make itself seem dead and then would get up and try to escape, sometimes successfully.
This phenomenon is usually used as a defense mechanism against predators in the wild.
If the bird were to struggle then the predator would not put the bird down and may even bite harder on the caught chicken.
If the bird acts immobile then the predator may put the bird down and the bird may have some time to escape.
Alleviating pain:
One other reason that your bird may be falling over and may be stuck on its back may be because the bird is in pain, and doesn’t want to get up.
A variety of things can be the cause of pain in your bird’s legs, including arthritis and bumblefoot.
Arthritis causes inflammation of the leg joint in chickens, and this can be very painful to the point where the birds simply fall down and choose to lie down.
Bumblefoot describes a condition where the bottom of your bird’s foot becomes infected and swollen, this is also very painful for the birds.
Both of these ailments are quite painful and the bird may be in so much pain that it may opt to stay on its back once it falls in an effort to alleviate feeling too much pain in its legs.
Why a chicken on its back is dangerous:
While the above reasons why your bird is on its back are serious the bird being on its back is dangerous in itself.
In both cases getting the bird off of its back is a must, for one the birds can’t breathe well while on their backs.
Unlike human lungs, which inflate and deflate, the air in your birds body only moves in one direction.
When chickens breathe, air travels into the bird’s air sacs. When your bird is put on its back the body of the bird puts pressure onto the air sacs making it difficult for the bird to breathe.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Baby Chick Wants To Be Held All The Time, Baby Chick Looks Wet, White Spots On Cockatiel Beak, Baby Chick Screaming, Baby Chick Distress Call, Red Rash On Chickens Skin, Chickens With Red Skin, Baby Chick Laying Down With Wing Out, Baby Chick Won’t Walk Or Open Eyes?
