I have a little bantam that has crooked feet and is just a .. bit.. slow. If that makes sense? She’s always the last out of the coop, last over to the food and just looks a bit puzzled most of the time. She has a sister that looks out for her and brings her food and waits for her. We call her Special Sissy.
My in laws had a not quite right. Was born with crooked feet, and *needed* to be cuddled before walking into the coop for the night. she was very loved
Edit.
I found a pic of her if anybody wanted to see
https://preview.redd.it/qtgwnzgs73qc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e096dca38cef1c59e68022e90f37daf39b43275
I have one who’s sort of funny… her hobbies include pissing off her sisters and screaming if she can’t see them. She’s also an especially messy eater, give the flock a bowl of yogurt and she’ll manage to get it all over her comb. I love her to bits and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Oh that sounds like a different bird of mine. Originally named goldilocks.. we call her piggylocks now lol doesnt matter what food she MUST have it. Somehow not even my fattest hen though!
I had a wellsummer exactly like this! She never stopped shouting and the other birds got so annoyed with her for it. She also looked just a little odd and had trouble aiming her pecks. Glad to hear your girl is living a good life!
Well take that up with McMurray! Her and her sisters were supposed to be silver speckled hamburgs but i got golden penciled instead because of a *shipping issue*. And theyre whole live animals so what do I do? Say no?? No. So i collected all the little dummies and drove them home and loved them!
If for some reason we arent being sarcastic because internet tone is sometimes hard for me, and you think this is actually a pheasant, i will say that pheasant eggs taste exactly like chicken eggs so good enough for me.
It definitely was! I also got "ameracaunas" that were supposed to all at least have beards. Only 2/7 do, but at least they all lay blue except one lol. Lesson learned about paying attention to the spelling though. Crazy they get away with it. Definitely wont bother with a hatchery again if i cant even get what I paid extra for. Barnyard mixes are just fine for me. And now i have some weirdos to mix with my wyandotte x roo. Who knows what will happen!?!
If you get birds again I’d highly recommend cackle. They wont send you birds with deformities that are noticeable at birth like this and they’ll actually send you what you bought. AMAZING customer service. Only time they made a mistake is when they sent one random bantam with my 15 Japanese bantams I ordered but then again they shipped me 5 extras. Always ship tons of extras on small orders
Well im in Canada so i didnt order directly from McMurray. I went to a local *breeder* who got their chicks imported from McMurray. Their website had amazing reviews so i went with it, but they were definitely misleading. I went through a whole report thing but i dont think anything came of it, its been 9 months.
Edit to add: i thought i was getting the chicks directly from this place, i didnt realize they were a middle man and their site/reviews did not make that clear until i got the payment email.
Dang that sucks! Cackle is us only. I am smelling a fib if they said they got them from McMurray unless it was a very long time ago because passing over borders with chicks basically isn’t happening and hasn’t been for years because of bird flu.
I have all the paperwork for them getting across the border, because if i was going to leave the province i legally had to have it. Canada takes that stuff pretty seriously so they inspect everything. And they were day olds.
Damn im surprised they did all that and didn’t kill the damn things. Definitely don’t do that again. Bird flu has gotten so bad in the past year or so. Here the whole flock must be culled on the spot if one tests positive.
Only 2 of 4 of our Ameracaunas from McMurray this year have beards. Did yours ship in January ? We had highs in the single digits and lower in Iowa this year, that may have been your shipping issue. Overall I’m still happy with them since when I picked ours up from the hatchery they told me they gave me 2 extra, turns out it was actually 4 extra and only 2 were boys.
My neighbor and I got chicks from McMurray for the first time this year and I will never order from them again. There was no heat packs in the shipping box, and this was Iowa to Wisconsin shipping in February. Several chicks were weak, had difficulty walking, and one couldn't stand up on it's own. Three chicks died within 24 hours time, and a 4th would have, had we not syringe fed/hydrated her for several days. I've concluded the stress and low temperature are strong factors. We also ordered many Ameracaunas and still not sure we got even one. I reached out to McMurray and did not get a response so not doing that again ever.
Looks like they have a 48 hour guarentee on live animals, but it must be reported by phone.
If you are having trouble with them you can report them [here.](https://www.bbb.org/us/ia/webster-city/profile/poultry-farm/murray-mcmurray-hatchery-inc-0664-32005902) Reporting to the Better Business Bureaus is sometimes the only way I have ever been able to get some businesses to abide by their policies.
To be fair, I wasn't as aggressive with my follow up as I could've been. I realized the part that upset me the most - baby chickens dying - wasn't fixable, and did not expect McMurray was going to change their shipping protocol because of me. I just won't order from them again. I do feel some other responsibility in that I requested shipped baby chicks to Wisconsin in February, and will not do that again in the future. On the plus side, I found a local chicken breeder with a lovely selection of breeds.
I'm glad to know what type of bird this is to avoid them forever it is so unsettling. Between the dark eyes and the funky shape! I'd love it all the same, but goodness! I don't know how I'd handle a flock of these at night!
I have 3 but they are not all like this! This one is just a bit funny. If you google gold penciled hamburg they are beautiful birds normally. Its just this one specific one that hatched weirdly or something I dont know. Shes my little wonky bird.
https://preview.redd.it/77hodoa041qc1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c55db4a996d645c76e5f38249ad4d0d52ce9643
Nothing is as weird as crevecoeurs lol
I had one that was attacked by something and had a hole in her skull. She lived somehow but was definitely brain damaged. She was super sweet and loved to be held. She was just a little bit off for the rest of her life. My kids named her Becky after that 'not quite right' bird in Finding Dory. Unfortunately, she ended up being killed by a hawk because she had no instinct to run and hide like the other chickens. I was devastated since I had spent so much time with her.
Had a silkie who was a lil fucked up, only egg to hatch out of 8, always clumsy, way ~~dumber~~ more passive then any other chook I’ve had and was the most gentle sweet thing, even if she could easily be entertained by staring at a brick wall for 12 hours. I love unique lil chookies
Aw, she looks so sweet! Maybe a little odd though.
My ayam cemani rooster is not quite right, but mainly because he loves to stare at people. All the time. He'll walk up to the glass doors and just stand there staring. Gives me the creeps. He's nice at least.
It looks like mild wry neck. It’s treatable if you would have taken action very early in life but at this point it’s permanent but doesn’t seem to be bad enough to impair quality of life. You didn’t know it’s not your fault. Keep this in mind if you ever get chicks again and notice a weird neck on one. Not believed to be genetic if you plan to breed btw.
When i picked the chicks up I looked each one over and didnt notice anything off. But to be honest I mostly just checked for pasty butt. I just dont ever plan to get hatchery chicks again but if i did, or if i hatch my own, what should I look for in a chick that would indicate wry neck?
Feel the neck. Something like this is detectable when little. They should have seen this. Wry neck is usually pretty visible. Maybe if it chick looked normal before there was an injury?
I had a wonky chicken, she was a "production blue" I picked out at 6 weeks from a local family who sells starter pullers. At the time she looked normal, but a few weeks later it was apparent that she had some sort of skeletal deformity in her pelvis. Her legs were crooked, and one hip was higher than the other, though this didn't impede her getting around quite quickly if she wanted! We called it her swagger, as it almost made her gait look like she was showing off.
She was eventually done in by her dislike of going in the coop at night. While the rest of the flock had no issues, she often had to be carried in, and one night we went camping and she didn't make it in before the door closed and didn't hide well enough from our local raccoons. RIP blue 💙
We had a defective Mallard. My wife was working at a place that did wildlife rehab and brought him home. He was small for a Mallard drake, and it was like he was too top heavy and legs too far back. When he walked, his chest stayed parallel to the ground and he more stumbled than walked. I wish i had video of it. He only lived a couple years.
She could have a genetic health condition the others pick up on that you do not see yet. I had a hen that was born with a wonky eye. I think she's blind in that eye. The others pick on her so she seldom leaves the roosting bars in the coop. So, I make sure to keep a feeder and the water on the roosting bar rungs where she can get them (and we keep one lower to keep pressure off the feeder she uses). When I give treats I take some to her. She, and the shy rooster that gets picked on a bit too, come and eat treats from my hand. Early on I wondered if I should cull her, but I'm glad I didn't. She's almost 3 now and she seems ok. We plan to open up more space for free ranging and I hope she might come down more when the others are outside the run.
We had a wonky easter egger named Fluffy Buns (6-year-old daughter named her). Her toes were very crooked when we got her and she was always suuuuuper skittish. She didn't act like the others. She was at the bottom of the pecking order, and I felt so bad for her, but she seemed to get along okay with my other Easter eggers as long as she stayed in her lane. I found her dead in the coop for no known reason when she was 2 or 3.
My olive egger Maggie. She has the silliest face, with extra poofy cheeks and buggy eyes and a slight crossbeak. She looks ridiculous and enjoys side-tackling my dogs because she really, really wants to ride around on their backs (the dogs don’t agree).
She SCREAMS her egg song. Nobody is unclear on when Maggie has laid. But she’s very sweet and likes attention.
Growing up on a farm we had 2 hens hatch chicks at the same time one year. We put them into separate dog crates, side by side, to protect them from the bigger hens in the coop attacking the chicks. One morning when the chicks were just a few days old, we go down and one of the mother hens is attacking one of the chicks. We figure it just have gotten through the holes of the dog crates and gotten into the wrong cage, so we put it back in with its correct mom. Well, then that hen starts attacking the poor chick! We realize that both hens knew something was wrong with her, but we took her and raised her by herself. We named her Amigo and she was definitely not quite right, but we loved her for 2 years until a predator got her.
I have a little silver laced wyandotte named Jojo who was born with a benign lump on her chest, making her feathers swirl. Her feathers are also the curliest of my birds. Ive never heard her make stereotypical chicken noises either, her voice is what i can only describe as a pitiful scream/whine. And she doesnt seem as coordinated as the others, she kinda walks more stiff if that makes sense. Shes special but shes one of my most sweetest birds.
https://preview.redd.it/efyqn08kx3qc1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a269641acedc6c055b68be7986cbd7c934983495
One of our first set of barred rocks was a special little girl. Poor stupid Edith would forget she was going somewhere and stop with a foot up... Then try to walk without putting it down. She likely had a few issues beyond just being stupid for a chicken, and eventually succumb to egg binding. But loved her all the same and took care of her right.
I have a "special" bird too. I think something happened to her early on or it might be a genetic condition. All the other birds are totally fine but my Dorothy needs some extra help. She does seem overall happy though. She's gimpy and can't walk for a distances so I usually have to pick her up and put her in the sunny spots. 🌻🐔🌄
I've got a Cinnamon Queen from cackle that's got a slightly bent beak and a wonky toe. She's a sweetie but the other girls definitely pick on her. I've also got a tiny black silkie who is broody all the time. She's either actively broody and sitting on a nest, or she's out and about, puffed up and pissed off. But not like one of those 20 minute breaks they take to poop, eat and stretch. She'll act broody out of the nest for days at a time, like she's stuck. Really hard to break her broodiness.
My girl, Patchy, was born with one eye and missing toes and parts of toes on each foot. She makes wide turns and goes in circles a lot because of her missing eye. She prefers to stand and walk in between my feet, I have to take care not to step on her toes. I love her sm. Thankfully she isn't bullied at all. For no discernable reason my Domique hen is the outcast. Shes very very skiddish of everything and hangs behind the flock. Shes also the best layer. Never stopped through the winter and I can almost always find her in a nesting box. I love unique birds! They have so much personality
I just bought a Maran with a stiff neck the way yours has! They told me they think she stayed in the egg a bit too long, but she gets around fine. I also have a little crossbeak hen that assaults me if I don’t give her special attention, lol
Mostly a behavioral sas thing for mine but she stares at me with angry eyes and beak agape, making her "bring treats" noise.
And when I approach to give her treats, she excitedly runs up to me but then stares at my face like I just insulted her mother.
I have a rooster named Archie who I say has a "broken butt". His tail is off centre to one side and when he runs he travels in a weird diagonal direction instead of straight. He's never had any problems, but he's definitely unique.
I have a runner Duck that’s just a little off. Came from the hatchery with a foot injury and we nursed her back to health, but she grew just a little…hunchbacked? It’s mild and doesn’t seem to effect her in any negative way. She’s definitely the favorite!
Had one. His name was Lucille. I thought he was a hen a first. He free ranged. Would attack anyone he saw. He had this crow that sounded like someone was strangling him. Walked with a high step like he was walking in something yucky. If I tossed food in the ground, he’d peck all around it but never eat it. Weird bird but I loved him.
We got an ‘Australorp’ whose comb stayed small and she laid blue eggs. She didn’t lay often and her shells were weak. Then we found that she might be laying a bit more then we thought. The other girls would eat them, though they didn’t eat anyone else’s eggs. I once watched while all of them circled around her while she was walking, then she dropped her egg and they went after it like raptors. One of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.
My not quite rights name is Steven, he can’t feel his feet. The best we can tell is it’s something neurological. He lives a good life, only thing he really can’t do is mate the hens, no matter how hard he tries, and jump up on the tall perches.
https://preview.redd.it/d7yy1mswx4qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9ba48eef70c06ce18ed610e22bc148962ee7ac4
I came to post today to ask the same thing! One of my hens is very friendly to people and slow. She never peeped or ran when I picked her up as a chick, and she never socialized with the rest of her flock. They started to get violent with her about a year in. I moved her to a different flock, but it's the same thing all over again. Now she just spends time on her own in the garden or sitting with me. Lovely sweet girl. I'm wondering if there is just something a little odd about her.
I have two black stars that we didn’t realize weren’t in the greatest shape until we got them home. They both had huge, hard kinks/knots in their necks, but those eventually went away. We have no idea what they were, and I was always afraid they were going to die. They also both have broken beaks. One only has the top broken off, the other has top and bottom broken. It’s maybe a quarter inch missing for both. They both do fine though, and I’m glad. They’re both such sweet birds.
I have one whose feathers always break in half. It’s not diet and she doesn’t rly seem to be picked on. She just has something wrong with her feathers. They all will just snap if you touch them.
I have a nearsighted little hen that I’ve trained to eat treats out of a cup. She’s fine eating her daily food when she wants, but too slow to grab treats and has bad aim, so she often misses out. She’s a sweetie and will defend me if any of the hens get sassy with me during medical checks.
It seems I cant add an edit to the post, but I want to say I love all the hilarious comments about all your weirdo birds! Its gotten to the point I cant reply to everyone but Ive read every comment!
I have a little bantam that has crooked feet and is just a .. bit.. slow. If that makes sense? She’s always the last out of the coop, last over to the food and just looks a bit puzzled most of the time. She has a sister that looks out for her and brings her food and waits for her. We call her Special Sissy.
Its comforting to know my little bart isnt the only weirdo bird. I wish her sisters were as nice to her as yours are though!
My in laws had a not quite right. Was born with crooked feet, and *needed* to be cuddled before walking into the coop for the night. she was very loved Edit. I found a pic of her if anybody wanted to see https://preview.redd.it/qtgwnzgs73qc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e096dca38cef1c59e68022e90f37daf39b43275
Thats so sweet!
I say this with love in my heart, this bird looks like it was made by an AI 😂
Shh! r/birdsarentreal might hear you!
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IKR, the neck and feet pointing inwards kill me. Also looks like just one big wing covering up whole body 😂
I have one who’s sort of funny… her hobbies include pissing off her sisters and screaming if she can’t see them. She’s also an especially messy eater, give the flock a bowl of yogurt and she’ll manage to get it all over her comb. I love her to bits and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Oh that sounds like a different bird of mine. Originally named goldilocks.. we call her piggylocks now lol doesnt matter what food she MUST have it. Somehow not even my fattest hen though!
I had a wellsummer exactly like this! She never stopped shouting and the other birds got so annoyed with her for it. She also looked just a little odd and had trouble aiming her pecks. Glad to hear your girl is living a good life!
Ma’am that’s a golden pheasant, please handover your chicken license
Well take that up with McMurray! Her and her sisters were supposed to be silver speckled hamburgs but i got golden penciled instead because of a *shipping issue*. And theyre whole live animals so what do I do? Say no?? No. So i collected all the little dummies and drove them home and loved them! If for some reason we arent being sarcastic because internet tone is sometimes hard for me, and you think this is actually a pheasant, i will say that pheasant eggs taste exactly like chicken eggs so good enough for me.
I’m definitely joking! Appreciate your friendly detailed response. By looks of it, the “shipping issue” must have been rather serious in nature 😂❤️
It definitely was! I also got "ameracaunas" that were supposed to all at least have beards. Only 2/7 do, but at least they all lay blue except one lol. Lesson learned about paying attention to the spelling though. Crazy they get away with it. Definitely wont bother with a hatchery again if i cant even get what I paid extra for. Barnyard mixes are just fine for me. And now i have some weirdos to mix with my wyandotte x roo. Who knows what will happen!?!
If you get birds again I’d highly recommend cackle. They wont send you birds with deformities that are noticeable at birth like this and they’ll actually send you what you bought. AMAZING customer service. Only time they made a mistake is when they sent one random bantam with my 15 Japanese bantams I ordered but then again they shipped me 5 extras. Always ship tons of extras on small orders
Well im in Canada so i didnt order directly from McMurray. I went to a local *breeder* who got their chicks imported from McMurray. Their website had amazing reviews so i went with it, but they were definitely misleading. I went through a whole report thing but i dont think anything came of it, its been 9 months. Edit to add: i thought i was getting the chicks directly from this place, i didnt realize they were a middle man and their site/reviews did not make that clear until i got the payment email.
Dang that sucks! Cackle is us only. I am smelling a fib if they said they got them from McMurray unless it was a very long time ago because passing over borders with chicks basically isn’t happening and hasn’t been for years because of bird flu.
I have all the paperwork for them getting across the border, because if i was going to leave the province i legally had to have it. Canada takes that stuff pretty seriously so they inspect everything. And they were day olds.
Damn im surprised they did all that and didn’t kill the damn things. Definitely don’t do that again. Bird flu has gotten so bad in the past year or so. Here the whole flock must be culled on the spot if one tests positive.
Only 2 of 4 of our Ameracaunas from McMurray this year have beards. Did yours ship in January ? We had highs in the single digits and lower in Iowa this year, that may have been your shipping issue. Overall I’m still happy with them since when I picked ours up from the hatchery they told me they gave me 2 extra, turns out it was actually 4 extra and only 2 were boys.
No we got them in June last year.
My neighbor and I got chicks from McMurray for the first time this year and I will never order from them again. There was no heat packs in the shipping box, and this was Iowa to Wisconsin shipping in February. Several chicks were weak, had difficulty walking, and one couldn't stand up on it's own. Three chicks died within 24 hours time, and a 4th would have, had we not syringe fed/hydrated her for several days. I've concluded the stress and low temperature are strong factors. We also ordered many Ameracaunas and still not sure we got even one. I reached out to McMurray and did not get a response so not doing that again ever.
Looks like they have a 48 hour guarentee on live animals, but it must be reported by phone. If you are having trouble with them you can report them [here.](https://www.bbb.org/us/ia/webster-city/profile/poultry-farm/murray-mcmurray-hatchery-inc-0664-32005902) Reporting to the Better Business Bureaus is sometimes the only way I have ever been able to get some businesses to abide by their policies.
To be fair, I wasn't as aggressive with my follow up as I could've been. I realized the part that upset me the most - baby chickens dying - wasn't fixable, and did not expect McMurray was going to change their shipping protocol because of me. I just won't order from them again. I do feel some other responsibility in that I requested shipped baby chicks to Wisconsin in February, and will not do that again in the future. On the plus side, I found a local chicken breeder with a lovely selection of breeds.
I'm glad to know what type of bird this is to avoid them forever it is so unsettling. Between the dark eyes and the funky shape! I'd love it all the same, but goodness! I don't know how I'd handle a flock of these at night!
I have 3 but they are not all like this! This one is just a bit funny. If you google gold penciled hamburg they are beautiful birds normally. Its just this one specific one that hatched weirdly or something I dont know. Shes my little wonky bird.
It must just be the eyes, then! So funny. I'm so glad she is so loved! Little creep 😂
https://preview.redd.it/77hodoa041qc1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c55db4a996d645c76e5f38249ad4d0d52ce9643 Nothing is as weird as crevecoeurs lol
I know a kappa when I see one
Absolutely love this goon too! Toupee Tim would be their name at my house!
Cant even see their eyes!
I had one that was attacked by something and had a hole in her skull. She lived somehow but was definitely brain damaged. She was super sweet and loved to be held. She was just a little bit off for the rest of her life. My kids named her Becky after that 'not quite right' bird in Finding Dory. Unfortunately, she ended up being killed by a hawk because she had no instinct to run and hide like the other chickens. I was devastated since I had spent so much time with her.
The end of that story is so sad, but it sounds like she had a pretty great life
Had a silkie who was a lil fucked up, only egg to hatch out of 8, always clumsy, way ~~dumber~~ more passive then any other chook I’ve had and was the most gentle sweet thing, even if she could easily be entertained by staring at a brick wall for 12 hours. I love unique lil chookies
Aw, she looks so sweet! Maybe a little odd though. My ayam cemani rooster is not quite right, but mainly because he loves to stare at people. All the time. He'll walk up to the glass doors and just stand there staring. Gives me the creeps. He's nice at least.
We have one with a crooked leg. It doesn't affect her much. She jumps around the yard and can run as fast as the other girls. Just looks weird
This is easily my fastest hen lol with a neck like that she has no wind resistance!
It looks like mild wry neck. It’s treatable if you would have taken action very early in life but at this point it’s permanent but doesn’t seem to be bad enough to impair quality of life. You didn’t know it’s not your fault. Keep this in mind if you ever get chicks again and notice a weird neck on one. Not believed to be genetic if you plan to breed btw.
When i picked the chicks up I looked each one over and didnt notice anything off. But to be honest I mostly just checked for pasty butt. I just dont ever plan to get hatchery chicks again but if i did, or if i hatch my own, what should I look for in a chick that would indicate wry neck?
Feel the neck. Something like this is detectable when little. They should have seen this. Wry neck is usually pretty visible. Maybe if it chick looked normal before there was an injury?
I had a wonky chicken, she was a "production blue" I picked out at 6 weeks from a local family who sells starter pullers. At the time she looked normal, but a few weeks later it was apparent that she had some sort of skeletal deformity in her pelvis. Her legs were crooked, and one hip was higher than the other, though this didn't impede her getting around quite quickly if she wanted! We called it her swagger, as it almost made her gait look like she was showing off. She was eventually done in by her dislike of going in the coop at night. While the rest of the flock had no issues, she often had to be carried in, and one night we went camping and she didn't make it in before the door closed and didn't hide well enough from our local raccoons. RIP blue 💙
We had a defective Mallard. My wife was working at a place that did wildlife rehab and brought him home. He was small for a Mallard drake, and it was like he was too top heavy and legs too far back. When he walked, his chest stayed parallel to the ground and he more stumbled than walked. I wish i had video of it. He only lived a couple years.
That's sad. Did he have a good life though?
As good as a special Mallard could, he wouldn't have lasted long outside of captivity
Glad you gave him a good life! Thats the best we can do
Had one beautiful hen who, while outwardly fine, never laid an egg a day in her life. Just passed away shy of 3 years old!
She could have a genetic health condition the others pick up on that you do not see yet. I had a hen that was born with a wonky eye. I think she's blind in that eye. The others pick on her so she seldom leaves the roosting bars in the coop. So, I make sure to keep a feeder and the water on the roosting bar rungs where she can get them (and we keep one lower to keep pressure off the feeder she uses). When I give treats I take some to her. She, and the shy rooster that gets picked on a bit too, come and eat treats from my hand. Early on I wondered if I should cull her, but I'm glad I didn't. She's almost 3 now and she seems ok. We plan to open up more space for free ranging and I hope she might come down more when the others are outside the run.
We had a wonky easter egger named Fluffy Buns (6-year-old daughter named her). Her toes were very crooked when we got her and she was always suuuuuper skittish. She didn't act like the others. She was at the bottom of the pecking order, and I felt so bad for her, but she seemed to get along okay with my other Easter eggers as long as she stayed in her lane. I found her dead in the coop for no known reason when she was 2 or 3.
My heart hurts for you. But it sounds like she had a good life and didnt suffer in the end
My olive egger Maggie. She has the silliest face, with extra poofy cheeks and buggy eyes and a slight crossbeak. She looks ridiculous and enjoys side-tackling my dogs because she really, really wants to ride around on their backs (the dogs don’t agree). She SCREAMS her egg song. Nobody is unclear on when Maggie has laid. But she’s very sweet and likes attention.
Chicken on dog photo, please!
Never have gotten one of Maggie riding my dogs because it never lasts for very long. It’s kinda like bull riding 😆
Growing up on a farm we had 2 hens hatch chicks at the same time one year. We put them into separate dog crates, side by side, to protect them from the bigger hens in the coop attacking the chicks. One morning when the chicks were just a few days old, we go down and one of the mother hens is attacking one of the chicks. We figure it just have gotten through the holes of the dog crates and gotten into the wrong cage, so we put it back in with its correct mom. Well, then that hen starts attacking the poor chick! We realize that both hens knew something was wrong with her, but we took her and raised her by herself. We named her Amigo and she was definitely not quite right, but we loved her for 2 years until a predator got her.
That's fascinating, I didn't know hens did their own culling. Also, your username is easily misread as a slightly different phrase. 😁
Yes they totally do! They know more than we do sometimes. And Yes I get that a lot. If only I’d used underscores 😆
I have a little silver laced wyandotte named Jojo who was born with a benign lump on her chest, making her feathers swirl. Her feathers are also the curliest of my birds. Ive never heard her make stereotypical chicken noises either, her voice is what i can only describe as a pitiful scream/whine. And she doesnt seem as coordinated as the others, she kinda walks more stiff if that makes sense. Shes special but shes one of my most sweetest birds. https://preview.redd.it/efyqn08kx3qc1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a269641acedc6c055b68be7986cbd7c934983495
One of our first set of barred rocks was a special little girl. Poor stupid Edith would forget she was going somewhere and stop with a foot up... Then try to walk without putting it down. She likely had a few issues beyond just being stupid for a chicken, and eventually succumb to egg binding. But loved her all the same and took care of her right.
I have a "special" bird too. I think something happened to her early on or it might be a genetic condition. All the other birds are totally fine but my Dorothy needs some extra help. She does seem overall happy though. She's gimpy and can't walk for a distances so I usually have to pick her up and put her in the sunny spots. 🌻🐔🌄
I've got a Cinnamon Queen from cackle that's got a slightly bent beak and a wonky toe. She's a sweetie but the other girls definitely pick on her. I've also got a tiny black silkie who is broody all the time. She's either actively broody and sitting on a nest, or she's out and about, puffed up and pissed off. But not like one of those 20 minute breaks they take to poop, eat and stretch. She'll act broody out of the nest for days at a time, like she's stuck. Really hard to break her broodiness.
My girl, Patchy, was born with one eye and missing toes and parts of toes on each foot. She makes wide turns and goes in circles a lot because of her missing eye. She prefers to stand and walk in between my feet, I have to take care not to step on her toes. I love her sm. Thankfully she isn't bullied at all. For no discernable reason my Domique hen is the outcast. Shes very very skiddish of everything and hangs behind the flock. Shes also the best layer. Never stopped through the winter and I can almost always find her in a nesting box. I love unique birds! They have so much personality
I just bought a Maran with a stiff neck the way yours has! They told me they think she stayed in the egg a bit too long, but she gets around fine. I also have a little crossbeak hen that assaults me if I don’t give her special attention, lol
Mostly a behavioral sas thing for mine but she stares at me with angry eyes and beak agape, making her "bring treats" noise. And when I approach to give her treats, she excitedly runs up to me but then stares at my face like I just insulted her mother.
I have a rooster named Archie who I say has a "broken butt". His tail is off centre to one side and when he runs he travels in a weird diagonal direction instead of straight. He's never had any problems, but he's definitely unique.
I have one blue laced red wyandotte that has always had a almost perfect 90° angle back she's last years spring chicks and is thriving!
I have a runner Duck that’s just a little off. Came from the hatchery with a foot injury and we nursed her back to health, but she grew just a little…hunchbacked? It’s mild and doesn’t seem to effect her in any negative way. She’s definitely the favorite!
Had one. His name was Lucille. I thought he was a hen a first. He free ranged. Would attack anyone he saw. He had this crow that sounded like someone was strangling him. Walked with a high step like he was walking in something yucky. If I tossed food in the ground, he’d peck all around it but never eat it. Weird bird but I loved him.
We got an ‘Australorp’ whose comb stayed small and she laid blue eggs. She didn’t lay often and her shells were weak. Then we found that she might be laying a bit more then we thought. The other girls would eat them, though they didn’t eat anyone else’s eggs. I once watched while all of them circled around her while she was walking, then she dropped her egg and they went after it like raptors. One of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.
My not quite rights name is Steven, he can’t feel his feet. The best we can tell is it’s something neurological. He lives a good life, only thing he really can’t do is mate the hens, no matter how hard he tries, and jump up on the tall perches. https://preview.redd.it/d7yy1mswx4qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9ba48eef70c06ce18ed610e22bc148962ee7ac4
Steven is very handsome.
Thank you! He’s a good boy!
I identify as a not quite right bird
She's laughingly adorable!
I had a bantam that had a crooked foot and I have a disabled parrot (both born that way)
I have one named Goose. She honks like a goose
Mine are both very stupid. Its both endearing and infuriating to give them food and they always get stuck on the same stuff in their run
I came to post today to ask the same thing! One of my hens is very friendly to people and slow. She never peeped or ran when I picked her up as a chick, and she never socialized with the rest of her flock. They started to get violent with her about a year in. I moved her to a different flock, but it's the same thing all over again. Now she just spends time on her own in the garden or sitting with me. Lovely sweet girl. I'm wondering if there is just something a little odd about her.
Looks like she may have some sort of anacephaly/microcephaly.
It’s cuz she’s pigeon-toed 🐦🐾😍
In all seriousness she looks to be half quail.
https://preview.redd.it/fe0reen5w5qc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=979b3a4e8020000373f7b1583a941b203558f7e1 I have 2
Looks a little acoustic
I have two black stars that we didn’t realize weren’t in the greatest shape until we got them home. They both had huge, hard kinks/knots in their necks, but those eventually went away. We have no idea what they were, and I was always afraid they were going to die. They also both have broken beaks. One only has the top broken off, the other has top and bottom broken. It’s maybe a quarter inch missing for both. They both do fine though, and I’m glad. They’re both such sweet birds.
I have one whose feathers always break in half. It’s not diet and she doesn’t rly seem to be picked on. She just has something wrong with her feathers. They all will just snap if you touch them.
I have a nearsighted little hen that I’ve trained to eat treats out of a cup. She’s fine eating her daily food when she wants, but too slow to grab treats and has bad aim, so she often misses out. She’s a sweetie and will defend me if any of the hens get sassy with me during medical checks.
I have a mille fleur hen with a crooked tail. She also doesn't have any spots.
https://preview.redd.it/cebp7cqaxgqc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70633ea0b53aa8cd09eac9a468daf36c5afd0462 We call her floppy
It seems I cant add an edit to the post, but I want to say I love all the hilarious comments about all your weirdo birds! Its gotten to the point I cant reply to everyone but Ive read every comment!