My chicken is struggling

[cruisnmoma]

Hi everyone, it's been quite a few years since I have posted. We took a break from chickens for a while, I've had my girls for about 3 years again. I have nine chickens. Three of them are brown sex links. Had a lot of health issues with these three girls. Right now what I'm dealing with, is some lameness and some vision issues. About a week ago, I went to let the girls out in the morning and one of them was in the nesting box. When I tried to kind of show her out she stumbled and fell over. She couldn't seem to stand up. She was trying to use her wings like arms to balance yourself. So I picked her up and put her down on the ground in the same thing she couldn't move around. So I brought her in the house, had to clean her up cuz she had been sleeping in her poop. Got her down on the floor, same thing she couldn't seem to balance herself without her wings. I brought her in some food and water and treats, and she wasn't interested in eating. Tried to get her into the vet, but there was no openings. I did some reading, and I gave her the Epsom salt water. I was concerned that she had gotten into something toxic. Nothing in her run that I'm aware of, but we do have squirrels and birds and things that come around. I'm thinking something got dropped into the run. After a couple days of the Epsom salt water and my making her eat food, she seemed to be doing better. She is up and walking, but doesn't seem to be as strong as she was. Since this has happened, she seems to be having a hard time finding her food. I can tell she sees it but when she goes to eat it she keeps missing. I'm pretty sure we got something neurological going at this point but I don't really know what to do. I've taken her outside a couple times just to see how she reacts, and she tucks her neck down and starts to head back towards the house. I know she's still not feeling well. Her poops are not exactly what they should be either. And the other girls definitely don't want her around at the moment. They can tell something's wrong with her. I'm not sure what to do at this point. she seems content enough being in the house at the moment, but this is not good for her forever.

 

[cruisnmoma]

Here's a picture of her right now. The way she's standing with her neck pulled in and everything. She's eaten quite a bit this morning again like I said she does eat but she has a really hard time finding it. The little chunks of sweet potato that are on the ground are kind of big. Normally they just gobble it down, she was able to pick it up, but couldn't seem to maneuver things so that she could swallow it. So she's not doing well with big pieces of food. And if it's too small she can't seem to pick it up

 

[WoDia]

@Wyorp Rock
@coach723
@dawg53

 

[PanosGR]

How old is she? Has she laid any eggs so far? What does she usually eat?

 

[cruisnmoma]

She is about 3 years old. She was laying. Not now. She eats organic pellets chicken scratch free range in our yard so lots of bugs grass things like that. They get kitchen scraps. The other eight chickens are fine. Just her

 

[Eggcessive]

Is one leg weaker than the other? The imbalance and not being able to walk in the past week seemed a little like Mareks. But being weak from not eating or drinking, due to the problem seeing and not feeling well, could be the issue. Do her eyes look normal in color with the same round clear pupils? If anything looks different, post pictures of the eyes. Chickens can lose eyesight from various issues, such as vitamin A deficiency, past exposure to AE virus as a young chick, cataracts, respiratory diseases, ammonia fumes, and Mareks. I would try to guide her to a bowl of soft wet chicken feed, and some cooked egg a few times a day. She may be better off back in the coop or run inside a wire dog crate to remain part of the flock. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[cruisnmoma]

Her eyes look perfectly fine. Like I said I'm worried that something neurological. She's fine on both legs. She seems to struggle to stand up a little bit, but once she's up she can walk. She doesn't want to walk very far though. If I put her out with the other girls they go after her

 

[dawg53]

Perhaps she has eaten something moldy. Look inside the feed sack for mold in the feed itself or on the inside of the sack itself. Also look for clumps of feed inside the feed sack, any size clumps. It means the feed was moist or wet and it dried.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Three of them are brown sex links. Had a lot of health issues with these three girls. Right now what I'm dealing with, is some lameness and some vision issues.

I did some reading, and I gave her the Epsom salt water. I was concerned that she had gotten into something toxic.

After a couple days of the Epsom salt water and my making her eat food, she seemed to be doing better. She is up and walking, but doesn't seem to be as strong as she was. Since this has happened, she seems to be having a hard time finding her food. I can tell she sees it but when she goes to eat it she keeps missing. I'm pretty sure we got something neurological going

I've taken her outside a couple times just to see how she reacts, and she tucks her neck down and starts to head back towards the house.

The way she's standing with her neck pulled in and everything. She's eaten quite a bit this morning again like I said she does eat but she has a really hard time finding it. The little chunks of sweet potato that are on the ground are kind of big.

She is about 3 years old. She was laying. Not now.

Have you felt for an egg?
Is her crop emptying?
Any bloat or fluid in the abdomen below the vent between her legs?

You mention the 3 Sex Links have had a lot of issues - she's one of them. What type of issues?

You may be dealing with Marek's disease, it's hard to know.
With her being 3 and a production hen, she may be starting to have some reproductive problems which can be common, but again, hard to know. If you lose her, then a necropsy would give the most information to the cause of her symptoms and decline.

Since you feel some of the problems are neurological, start her on vitamin therapy. 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily. Give her a little egg for the uptake of E.

Raise her food/water so she doesn't have to bend her neck so far forward like she would if it's on the floor - see if that's easier for her to manage.

It's interesting the Epsom Salts helped or she improved - epsom salts (a flush) are commonly used to treat toxins and crop problems - so I'd definitely check the crop to make sure it's emptying.

 

[cruisnmoma]

At this point she is up and walking. She is preening. I really think she is struggling to see. She is having a hard time pecking her food. She keep pecking next to it. She also stops about an inch short of picking it up. Her eyes look fine. They are clear and not misshapen. I know she can see, but can not line up. She sees us working by her and she is looking at her food but she just can't grab what she sees. If I get her in the vet, can they tell if she is having vision issues? Maybe she had a stroke or something. I have put her outside a few times, but she just finds a place to hide and just sits there. She is not walking around eating the grass or looking for bugs. I don't know what to do at this point.