I came home to one of my babies hens missing. I found her in the back of the coop that was boarded off, she must have hopped on top of the boards and fell in and could not get out. The area is approx. 2ft wide x 5ft. lg with no light. She was probably in the 24 hours with no food, water and it was very warm. When I picked her up she was lethargic, wouldn't open her eyes for long. I placed her outside with the other chicks and noticed, she couldn't see. I thought maybe after being the dark, now with the sun it was too bright. She followed the other 2 chicks around but would just lay down most of the time, than would move to another spot and then lay down. Her poop seemed to have a turd with clear liquid around it. So, I put her in a box and placed her in our spare bathroom. I tried to place her outside yesterday to peck on the grass but the older hens tried to attack her, so back in the box she went. She is eating her chick food, drinking lots of water with EmergenC powder in it (I have to hold the water up to her, so she knows where it is) and pooping normal now. She moves around her box but is pretty calm. But she still cannot see. Is this a disease or from the darkness?
2 1/2 month old hen went blind. Help
- Thread starter DebLbie
- Start date
Can you post some photos of her and the eyes?
Does she react to a hand being waved around her eyes at all?
Does she react to a hand being waved around her eyes at all?
In my experience, birds that have an outbreak of Marek's Disease often fall or get stuck in places they shouldn't, due to their balance being compromised. Marek's can affect the vision as well as the rest of their body and it mostly affects juvenile birds so your chick is the right age to be particularly prone to it. It is also an extremely common and widespread disease, so that would be my guess for your chick's ailment.
Marek's is a very strange disease in that there are a huge range of symptoms both from the disease itself and secondary infections due to immune suppression, so it is difficult to say for sure other than by necropsy after the bird dies. The virus has a minimum of 3 weeks dormant phase between infection and an outbreak but it can be much longer. It is contracted by inhaling infected dander dust.
She may recover from this outbreak but will always carry the disease and be prone to further outbreaks in the future or sadly she may decline and die. They actively shed the virus during an outbreak...... just like humans with cold sores..... Marek's and the cold sore virus are both caused by Herpes viruses, but there is no risk to humans from a chicken with Marek's. Your flock were probably exposed to the virus at the same time as this bird but are not be showing symptoms yet. An outbreak of symptoms is usually triggered by stress and what stresses one bird may not stress another. Some birds will be resistant to the virus and others susceptible. Some of your older girls may be carrying the virus. Until they have an outbreak it is not possible to tell. Did you get this bird from a breeder or hatchery or breed it yourself? Hatchery chicks are almost certain to be free of the disease but can become infected as soon as they leave the hatchery. Chicks or grown birds from a breeder are more likely to be infected than hatchery chicks (where strict bio security measures are taken) and buying from auctions or swaps greatly increases the risk of bringing the disease into your flock. Many people never realise that their flock have it because they don't get a necropsy done when a bird dies and the symptoms can mimic so many other ailments and birds don't all get it at once and often have different symptoms, so they don't associate one illness or death with another. There are very "classic" symptoms like leg paralysis where they do the Marek's splits with one leg forward and one back, or an eye iris changes colour or one pupil becomes distorted out of shape or noticeably dilated compared to the other, but there are many other muscular contortions or weaknesses that can occur as a result of the neurological system being damaged and the "classic" cases tend to be the minority.
Where in the world are you located? Were the chicks vaccinated for Marek's at hatch or in vitro..... it is an optional extra at hatcheries so if you didn't request it, it will not have been done.... and less likely if you purchased from a private breeder. The vaccine is not guaranteed to prevent the birds getting Marek's but it will give them a greater chance of surviving it.
I have posted a lot of information because the majority of what you read about Marek's is incorrect and people rule it out because they don't have the "classic" paralysis but once you have experience of it, you realise that the disease can be much more subtle in it's guises. I'm into my 4th year with it and I can say that whilst each loss is heart breaking, it is not nearly as devastating as regards the whole flock as you are led to believe.
Some people cull birds as soon as they develop obvious Marek's symptoms, to prevent further exposure of the remaining flock to it. Some isolate the birds showing symptoms and offer supportive care and some provide supportive care within the flock since the flock were almost certainly exposed 3+ weeks prior to the symptomatic bird having an outbreak. I'm in the latter category because I cannot euthanize a young bird that is bright eyed and eating enthusiastically and I have had some make pretty miraculous recoveries even after weeks or months and isolation tends to depress them and they sometimes stop fighting it.
Your location may be relevant as Marek's strains vary in aggressiveness and here in the UK it seems that they are milder than parts of the USA, where there are some really hot strains. I'm not sure about other countries. Environmental factors and climatic conditions may also play a part in that.
Of course, I may be totally wrong and your chick may not have Marek's. A good quality poultry vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench or Poultry Cell will help to boost the bird's immune system to support it through an outbreak if I am correct. I also find that sunshine and grass are beneficial, but not baking sun..... just a comfortable environment where they can be near other chickens without being at risk of pecking. None of these things can be detrimental if it is not Marek's. I would be inclined to feed your chick a soft mash made with crumbles and water or possibly fermented feed to provide probiotics to support it's digestive system. Moist food will mean that it is less likely to become dehydrated if it is unable to find it's water.
Marek's is a very strange disease in that there are a huge range of symptoms both from the disease itself and secondary infections due to immune suppression, so it is difficult to say for sure other than by necropsy after the bird dies. The virus has a minimum of 3 weeks dormant phase between infection and an outbreak but it can be much longer. It is contracted by inhaling infected dander dust.
She may recover from this outbreak but will always carry the disease and be prone to further outbreaks in the future or sadly she may decline and die. They actively shed the virus during an outbreak...... just like humans with cold sores..... Marek's and the cold sore virus are both caused by Herpes viruses, but there is no risk to humans from a chicken with Marek's. Your flock were probably exposed to the virus at the same time as this bird but are not be showing symptoms yet. An outbreak of symptoms is usually triggered by stress and what stresses one bird may not stress another. Some birds will be resistant to the virus and others susceptible. Some of your older girls may be carrying the virus. Until they have an outbreak it is not possible to tell. Did you get this bird from a breeder or hatchery or breed it yourself? Hatchery chicks are almost certain to be free of the disease but can become infected as soon as they leave the hatchery. Chicks or grown birds from a breeder are more likely to be infected than hatchery chicks (where strict bio security measures are taken) and buying from auctions or swaps greatly increases the risk of bringing the disease into your flock. Many people never realise that their flock have it because they don't get a necropsy done when a bird dies and the symptoms can mimic so many other ailments and birds don't all get it at once and often have different symptoms, so they don't associate one illness or death with another. There are very "classic" symptoms like leg paralysis where they do the Marek's splits with one leg forward and one back, or an eye iris changes colour or one pupil becomes distorted out of shape or noticeably dilated compared to the other, but there are many other muscular contortions or weaknesses that can occur as a result of the neurological system being damaged and the "classic" cases tend to be the minority.
Where in the world are you located? Were the chicks vaccinated for Marek's at hatch or in vitro..... it is an optional extra at hatcheries so if you didn't request it, it will not have been done.... and less likely if you purchased from a private breeder. The vaccine is not guaranteed to prevent the birds getting Marek's but it will give them a greater chance of surviving it.
I have posted a lot of information because the majority of what you read about Marek's is incorrect and people rule it out because they don't have the "classic" paralysis but once you have experience of it, you realise that the disease can be much more subtle in it's guises. I'm into my 4th year with it and I can say that whilst each loss is heart breaking, it is not nearly as devastating as regards the whole flock as you are led to believe.
Some people cull birds as soon as they develop obvious Marek's symptoms, to prevent further exposure of the remaining flock to it. Some isolate the birds showing symptoms and offer supportive care and some provide supportive care within the flock since the flock were almost certainly exposed 3+ weeks prior to the symptomatic bird having an outbreak. I'm in the latter category because I cannot euthanize a young bird that is bright eyed and eating enthusiastically and I have had some make pretty miraculous recoveries even after weeks or months and isolation tends to depress them and they sometimes stop fighting it.
Your location may be relevant as Marek's strains vary in aggressiveness and here in the UK it seems that they are milder than parts of the USA, where there are some really hot strains. I'm not sure about other countries. Environmental factors and climatic conditions may also play a part in that.
Of course, I may be totally wrong and your chick may not have Marek's. A good quality poultry vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench or Poultry Cell will help to boost the bird's immune system to support it through an outbreak if I am correct. I also find that sunshine and grass are beneficial, but not baking sun..... just a comfortable environment where they can be near other chickens without being at risk of pecking. None of these things can be detrimental if it is not Marek's. I would be inclined to feed your chick a soft mash made with crumbles and water or possibly fermented feed to provide probiotics to support it's digestive system. Moist food will mean that it is less likely to become dehydrated if it is unable to find it's water.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thank you so much for all the info. I did read up on Mareks. I just wanted to make sure it was that before I put her down. Plus not sure if I need to put my entire flock down if it is Mareks?? I do have dogs and I dot want them to get sick. I got her from a breeder in the USA, state of Michigan, she has no vaccinations. She has food on her beak cuz she was eating when I walk in the room. lol
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- Thread starter
- #5
No she does not react to my hand, only sound.
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It is not possible to make much out with her eyes on the photo and we can only see one. Usually with Marek's there will be asymmetrical paralysis, so comparing one eye to the other will give a better idea. Even then, you cannot diagnose with 100% certainty but it does make it the most likely cause.
There are very few backyard people who would cull a whole flock because of one case of Marek's and even if you do, your next birds are likely to pick it up unless you move, because it can survive for months if not years outside the body, in a dormant state. It is important not to pass on birds from your flock because even birds that have not exhibited symptoms can be carriers and even if they are resistant themselves, their feathers would most likely be harbouring infected dander dust from other birds.
There are very few backyard people who would cull a whole flock because of one case of Marek's and even if you do, your next birds are likely to pick it up unless you move, because it can survive for months if not years outside the body, in a dormant state. It is important not to pass on birds from your flock because even birds that have not exhibited symptoms can be carriers and even if they are resistant themselves, their feathers would most likely be harbouring infected dander dust from other birds.
- Thread starter
- #7
Oh ok, sorry I am new to chickens and all of this. Here is another photo. I can get more photos when I have help.
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Unfortunately it is not possible to see enough detail on the eyes in these photos to make out any obvious ocular Marek's and even if we could see the pupils and irises clearly, there is no guarantee that the bird doesn't have Marek's just because we can't see any obvious signs anyway. There are options to send off a feather or blood sample to test for it or to get a necropsy done by your state diagnostics lab if she doesn't make it or you euthanize her. Carcasses need to be refrigerated (not frozen) and shipped overnight on ice to your state facility. Cost varies enormously from state to state but still usually much cheaper and more accurate than your local vet. Of course you can just euthanize and incinerate or bury her, but you don't learn anything from that. It can be helpful to know for sure what you are dealing with, but if you don't have the funds for a necropsy then I can't argue with that. I do my own post mortem examinations whenever possible but with this being blindness it would probably involve opening up the skull and looking at the brain and eyes and I'm not sure you or I would be skilled or knowledgeable enough to do that even if we could psych ourselves up to it!
- Thread starter
- #9
Thank you all for the input. Everyday she has gotten better and stronger. I have put her outside a few times but because the other chickens know that she is different, they will attack her. She walks around totally fine and eats and drinks on her own, but she is blind. Her other senses have kicked and you can see her listening for everything. Today she seems to sense or see a little bit of my hand coming toward her one side. Her pupils were totally Black but now they look normal again I feel that her sight will come back just not sure how much or how long it will take.
Great to hear that she is gaining confidence as well as possibly a bit of improvement in her sight. Sad that the others will not accept her but it is to be expected. I hope she continues to improve.
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