I've had this one particularly strange chicken for the last 3 years. She's always been a bit off with her head movements and blindness in one eye. But she's been fine in the flock and otherwise healthy & happy.
This past summer, her condition suddenly became worse - she cannot see in low light at all and started displaying increased neurological issues... She stopped roosting and was then having trouble even getting up the coop ladder due to her strange movements (stumbling, circling, torticollis). I did take her to the vet but the diagnosis was inconclusive without an expensive MRI (which would have just shown something incurable, like a tumor or damage). We did put her on antibiotics and supplements just in case (with no improvement). I was expecting that she was going to die but 6 months later she's still doing well.
through the fall, I was bringing her into the house to sleep each night and letting her range during the day. No issues. However, the past month the other chickens and ducks have started to bully her. (I think because she gets stressed if she blindly bumps into one of them, starts freaking out and then they attack her out of surprise). So she's been living in my basement alone. She's quiet and seems content but it must surely be boring. And I can't say for sure she isn't lonely.
My question is... what do I do with her long term? Any thoughts?
I was thinking of sectioning off a part of the coop for her (I could make a 3ft x 3ft area at most). She will be able to see the other chickens at least (although, they spend most of the day in the run or ranging). She always needs a bit of light - she starts panicking (circling and twisting her neck) in the dark. So I'd have to install a "nightlight". We are headed into winter now where the temp could drop to -40 Celsius in Jan/Feb. My coop has never been heated but I'm thinking I might need to provide her a heat panel since she won't have the body heat from the others. I would feel bad putting her in "jail" but the chickens don't do much in the winter with the snow anyway. In the spring I can give her a separate outdoor ranging area.
Or, should I keep her in the house until Spring?
This past summer, her condition suddenly became worse - she cannot see in low light at all and started displaying increased neurological issues... She stopped roosting and was then having trouble even getting up the coop ladder due to her strange movements (stumbling, circling, torticollis). I did take her to the vet but the diagnosis was inconclusive without an expensive MRI (which would have just shown something incurable, like a tumor or damage). We did put her on antibiotics and supplements just in case (with no improvement). I was expecting that she was going to die but 6 months later she's still doing well.
through the fall, I was bringing her into the house to sleep each night and letting her range during the day. No issues. However, the past month the other chickens and ducks have started to bully her. (I think because she gets stressed if she blindly bumps into one of them, starts freaking out and then they attack her out of surprise). So she's been living in my basement alone. She's quiet and seems content but it must surely be boring. And I can't say for sure she isn't lonely.
My question is... what do I do with her long term? Any thoughts?
I was thinking of sectioning off a part of the coop for her (I could make a 3ft x 3ft area at most). She will be able to see the other chickens at least (although, they spend most of the day in the run or ranging). She always needs a bit of light - she starts panicking (circling and twisting her neck) in the dark. So I'd have to install a "nightlight". We are headed into winter now where the temp could drop to -40 Celsius in Jan/Feb. My coop has never been heated but I'm thinking I might need to provide her a heat panel since she won't have the body heat from the others. I would feel bad putting her in "jail" but the chickens don't do much in the winter with the snow anyway. In the spring I can give her a separate outdoor ranging area.
Or, should I keep her in the house until Spring?
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