Eyesight loss after pred attack, tho no eye injury...??

[All Ball]

Hi and thanks to everyone who has offered advice so far on my hen who survived a predator attack.

She had no blood from the attack, but internal injuries and possibly some puncture wounds I didn't find. Now, at day 13, and after starting antibiotics, her poop is finally looking normal and she went after seeds and scratch this morning, so she seems to be getting better.

So here is the one problem I can't quite figure out: she has lost a great deal of eyesight. She seems to be able to see walls and such to a certain extent, but she can't see food on the ground and has to use her beak to locate in vs. out of a clear plastic cup of seeds. She will miss-peck around a bright white feed cup.

Her head and eyes look untouched, no scratches, no visible damage.

All I can figure is:
1. She had a stroke from the trauma of the attack
2. In running around in the dark, she hit something and got a bad concussion with bleeding on the brain that has impacted her sight center (I had an uncle who lost lower field sight from something like this, after hitting the back of his head).
3. Possibly the infection the antibiotic is treating has caused delirium, in which case, maybe it will clear up.

Has anybody experienced anything like this? I can't find mention when I do searches.

As I mentioned, she hatched with some minor defects that were either muscular or neurological, feathered in late and different from her sibs, reached sexual maturity late, is a little weird (makes loud songs like a child with a smoking habit yelling and screaming), so possibly the attack compounded some existing weirdness in her brain...

 

[chicknmania]

You could try some Rooster Booster Poultry Cell vitamins, most feed stores sell them. They have a lot of Vitamin A in them, which can help with vision problems. We had a pullet a year or so ago that had a similar issue. The vitamins seemed to help a bit, and I read somewhere that they might.... but who knows, really. Maybe try a little Selennium too.... for the neuro issues.

 

[All Ball]

chicknmania, thanks for these suggestions! I'll check these out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she has lost a great deal of eyesight. She seems to be able to see walls and such to a certain extent, but she can't see food on the ground and has to use her beak to locate in vs. out of a clear plastic cup of seeds. She will miss-peck around a bright white feed cup.

Her head and eyes look untouched, no scratches, no visible damage.

As I mentioned, she hatched with some minor defects that were either muscular or neurological,

Can you post some photos of her, especially the eyes?

Can you explain a bit more about hatching with minor defects? What are those, bum leg, crooked beak, etc.?

 

[chicknmania]

There are so many neuro issues that can affect chickens. Although Marek's is always the first thing people think of, it's not always that. It could be genetic, or from an injury, possible stroke, like you said, or some form of avian cancer. I hope she does better for you. Keep us posted!

 

[All Ball]

GREAT NEWS TO REPORT!!!!! She has her eyesight back this morning!!! And her appetite...I think she was metering her feeding before because her digestive system hurt. For the first time in days, she can see scratch on the ground, in my hand, etc., and is wolfing food down.

So this was temporary eyesight loss as a result of infection from the attack, and the antibiotics have solved the problem.

And as for the minor hatching defects: She was vigorous enough to be #3 out of 10 hatches. On day 1, she recruited her wing for balance when running around, and her legs seemed to stutter more than other sibs. When older, she had an odd way of stretching out and placing her feet when walking, had a limp for certain stretches of time, and stretched her legs a lot to try to resolve it. As an older chick, her head seemed to be differently shaped than others. As an adult, her gait is not as efficient as others, and she has also been less speedy and efficient and targeted at eating off the ground. As dusk approached, she could not see as well earlier than her sibs. She was late in feathering and her feathers grew in on wings differently from her sibs. She was 3 months late in reaching sexual maturity. She was odd/different enough that her sibs - girls first, later the roo, who excludes her from treats - rejected her socially. Now they sometimes include her, but at other times she stays a distance away from the flock. And she has the most obnoxious singing style - basically sounds like a child with a smoking habit yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs. She's not totally stupid, but not the brightest. So I think of her as "special needs."

 

[Wyorp Rock]

There are so many neuro issues that can affect chickens. Although Marek's is always the first thing people think of, it's not always that. It could be genetic, or from an injury, possible stroke, like you said, or some form of avian cancer. I hope she does better for you. Keep us posted!

Your right! There are many things that can affect the eyes in chickens, and Marek's is just one of them. Not all eye issues are neurological or due to disease - some causes include birth defects, incorrect incubation, vitamin deficiency in parent stock, poor chick nutrition/vitamin deficiencies, injury, poor ventilation/ammonia, chickens can also develop cataracts along with other eye disorders... on the list goes on

GREAT NEWS TO REPORT!!!!! She has her eyesight back this morning!!! And her appetite...I think she was metering her feeding before because her digestive system hurt. For the first time in days, she can see scratch on the ground, in my hand, etc., and is wolfing food down.

So this was temporary eyesight loss as a result of infection from the attack, and the antibiotics have solved the problem.

And as for the minor hatching defects: She was vigorous enough to be #3 out of 10 hatches. On day 1, she recruited her wing for balance when running around, and her legs seemed to stutter more than other sibs. When older, she had an odd way of stretching out and placing her feet when walking, had a limp for certain stretches of time, and stretched her legs a lot to try to resolve it. As an older chick, her head seemed to be differently shaped than others. As an adult, her gait is not as efficient as others, and she has also been less speedy and efficient and targeted at eating off the ground. As dusk approached, she could not see as well earlier than her sibs. She was late in feathering and her feathers grew in on wings differently from her sibs. She was 3 months late in reaching sexual maturity. She was odd/different enough that her sibs - girls first, later the roo, who excludes her from treats - rejected her socially. Now they sometimes include her, but at other times she stays a distance away from the flock. And she has the most obnoxious singing style - basically sounds like a child with a smoking habit yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs. She's not totally stupid, but not the brightest. So I think of her as "special needs."

Glad to hear she is doing better! She sounds like she is a fighter even though she has some developmental problems. I hope she continues to do well.

 

[chicknmania]

Great news! Keep an eye on her for a few days though.