Blind hen & mites

[cndlou]

I reached out a while back & you all we’re so helpful w my Harley, Snow, Gigi & Rudy!!I’ve since had to put down Rudy & Gigi. Harley had Ascites & fell asleep in my arms...

I still have my OG, Snow... happy, healthy, bossy! I’ve since adopted a few others... Stripes, Goldie & Spazzy...

All of my hens have been older, either rescued or adopted bcz they no longer lay! ‍ That puzzles me bcz most of them lay for me!

My new lil girl, Spazzy suddenly is not able to see everything....

She seems to have normal looking pupils, orange iris & clear, healthy looking eyes. But I noticed lately that she misses the mark while feeding & tries so hard to keep up w the other 4 girls. I give her treats separately, otherwise, she won’t find them in time!

Just want to rule out Merricks...

She was named Spazzy bcz of her funny walk... Very sad, she had untreated scaly leg mites which deformed her toes pretty bad. I treated her immediately & she’s Not-so-Spazzy any longer! She walks as normal as the rest of my girls!! Anyway, the nail on her deformed toe was either caught on something or? It bled one day. I trimmed the nail back & the connection between toe & nail bled again. I’ve just put antibiotic ointment on it & have been watching it.

My question is.... Could the mites have also caused her blindness?

I just took these pics & after I zoomed in, I noticed she may still have mites! Even though her legs look sooo much better than when I first brought her home!!! Back to daily olive oil dipping!!!

Any & all suggestions are welcome! Thank you!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Her eyes look dilated, hopefully @Eggcessive will chime in with ideas.
Normally eyes that are affected by Marek's have a color change or the pupil/iris are misshaped.
You could try poultry vitamins to see if her missing food is related to a deficiency. Look for one that has A, E and B vitamins - probably poultry cell.

There really is no way to rule out Marek's. Testing is performed through necropsy so if you lose her, sending the body to your state lab would give you the best information.
Here's some detailed reading about Marek's disease.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

For the legs, yes, I would gently wash those, give them a light scrub with a soft toothbrush to help loosen the dirt and debris, then apply your oil of choice. Vaseline or Nustock worked into and under the scales would be good. The toenail, that will probably eventually fall off.

http://www.poultrydisease.ir/Atlases/avian-atlas/search/lesion/464.html

 

[Eggcessive]

Her eyes look normal to me, except is the left eye more dilated and does it have any cloudiness in the pupil? Does she keep either eye closed or have any drainage from them? The vitamins would be a good idea. Are you using a commercial chicken feed for her? @Kris5902 has a great thread about her adopted hens with the worst case of leg mites. She soaked their legs daily in Epsom salts or betadine, and scrubbed off the bad scabs, then oiled the legs and feet. Her chickens really looked so much better.

 

[Kris5902]

I don’t think the mites could cause blindness, are you 100% positive she is having troubles with her vision? I’ve seen hens that just seem to have a really hard time aiming for food, for no apparent reason.

I agree that the feet and legs could probably benefit from further “spa” treatments, the warm water/epsom salt soaks really help in addition to the oil. Soak as long as possible and very gently brush with a super soft toothbrush across or with the scales, not against. The moisture helps the dead tissues and debris come off better than just oil alone.

Best wishes for your girl.

 

[cndlou]

I want to thank you all for replying to my post. I will wash her legs and feet as you all have advised...
I feel pretty reassured that it’s most likely NOT Merricks! Thank God!
I do feel she is lacking quite a bit of her sight. She flies off the porch steps most of the time, rather than walking down them. Also I’ve noticed when I put light colored food down for her on a dark surface, she’s better able to find it.
The other girls pick on her a bit as well. They don’t allow her to eat w them.

I have to share something personal w you guys...

My 20 yo Cooper, beagle mix, is blind, my lil girl, Spazzy is ?partially? blind... & the day after I posted my question, I was diagnosed w Macular Degeneration!
What a trip, huh?

I had been researching the blind hen & Cooper for a while... glad I had been, it will benefit all 3 of us!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I want to thank you all for replying to my post. I will wash her legs and feet as you all have advised...
I feel pretty reassured that it’s most likely NOT Merricks! Thank God!
I do feel she is lacking quite a bit of her sight. She flies off the porch steps most of the time, rather than walking down them. Also I’ve noticed when I put light colored food down for her on a dark surface, she’s better able to find it.
The other girls pick on her a bit as well. They don’t allow her to eat w them.

I have to share something personal w you guys...

My 20 yo Cooper, beagle mix, is blind, my lil girl, Spazzy is ?partially? blind... & the day after I posted my question, I was diagnosed w Macular Degeneration!
What a trip, huh?

I had been researching the blind hen & Cooper for a while... glad I had been, it will benefit all 3 of us!!!

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

That's interesting that she can seem to find food on a darker surface, so she can see "contrasts" I suppose. You may have to get her a black rubber bowl to eat out of.

 

[cndlou]

Thank you for the hugggs!!! I’ll find a black rubber bowl!! Thx for the suggestion!!!