Blind Hen?

[Alexandra Runner]

Hey, all!
Week of crazy at my coop, apparently.
So here goes: Kate is a three and a half year old Rhode Island Red. She was best friends with her brother (Jack) who had to be culled, and she hasn't laid an egg since. She made good friends with her sister Delta, who died in early spring from reproductive issues. She gained ground over the summer, in terms of sadness, but over the past couple of weeks, she has seemed a little off, electing to sleep on the droppings boards instead of the roosts. I've shaken my head and replaced her each time. Outside, she has mostly been sitting around the yard, choosing to sit close to trees or the waterer. She has also managed to annoy the everything out of my broody, Lilly, to the point of Lilly screaming anytime Kate is in her sight.
When I picked Kate up to get her out of Lilly's sight this morning, I noticed she had gotten pretty thin; her keel was sharper than normal. I took her to the Hutchman (a rabbit hutch I use as a chicken quarantine sector) to see if I could get her to eat some mash. She had eaten a tiny bit of mash yesterday, but quit when the others came up to eat.
At the Hutchman, she did the strangest thing. She completely missed the food cup every time she went to eat. Like HeiHei on Moana. I think she's partially blind.
Does anyone have any opinions on this? I don't know what to do with her. I did get some mash and Nutri-drench into her, so that's good.

 

[Alexandra Runner]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive any ideas? I've read as much as I can. Kate is doing better now that she has some food and Nutri-drench in her, but her sight doesn't seem any better.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she has seemed a little off, electing to sleep on the droppings boards instead of the roosts. I've shaken my head and replaced her each time. Outside, she has mostly been sitting around the yard, choosing to sit close to trees or the waterer.

She completely missed the food cup every time she went to eat. Like HeiHei on Moana. I think she's partially blind.

Kate is doing better now that she has some food and Nutri-drench

She had eaten a tiny bit of mash yesterday, but quit when the others came up to eat.

Can you get some photos of Kate's eyes, of her and her poop?

When was her last egg?

She's doing better now that she's had something to eat/drink and a dose of Nutri-Drench. Is she being kept from food/water - you mention she quits eating when others come up to eat.

Her sleeping on the poop board may be more comfy for her instead of roosting. I've noticed when a hen is not well or is having some issues they tend to have a harder time roosting. You may want to place her in the hutch at night on some soft bedding so she can rest a bit better. You be the judge of that.

Do let her with the flock during the day if they are not picking on her.

Since she's acting off, look her over for lice/mites and make sure her crop is emptying overnight.

I'd continue to give the Nutri-Drench for a couple of days. You may want to take her aside at least once a day and offer her some food to ensure she's eating something too. Normal feed along with bits of egg, fish (tuna, sardine) may be enticing to her.

 

[azygous]

To verify that she's having sight issues, I suggest you test her vision. If her right eye is deficient, she will have trouble finding her food and water, and she will find it difficult to roost because the right eye focuses on close things. If her left eye is deficient, she will be very reluctant to go out from under cover because the left eye focuses on distant things such as predators and hawks approaching.

To test her right eye, first isolate her so she doesn't have to compete with the others. Use her favorite treat and see if she can find it if you place it on the ground in front of her. Next hold it up at eye level and see if she can take it from your fingers.

Not being able to see her food could account for her losing weight because she is likely not feeling competent to compete for food at the feeder.

I had a old hen who was blind in her right eye, but she was the matriarch of the flock and maintained her dominance in spite of not seeing well. And I always had the food and water in exactly the same place all the time so she didn't have to hunt for it. I also isolated her when it came to handing out treats so she didn't need to compete. To make it easy for her to roost, I provided her with a perch that was close to the ground so she only had to step up onto it.

 

[Alexandra Runner]

So, Kate has eaten a little today, but not as well as yesterday. But she is still eating!
Kate hasn't laid an egg since around mid-March (she hasn't laid since we culled Jack, but I don't know the exact day).
Thankfully, she doesn't have any mites or lice on her. Her crop is emptying overnight (I always keep an eye on her crop; she had yeasty crop once, and that was not a fun week.) Her tush is pretty dirty due to so many watery poops, so I am bathing her rather frequently to prevent flystrike.
I did notice her eating at the feeder last night with Connie, a SLW who has, shall we say, Friendliness issues? But Connie was letting her eat just fine, so I'd say she can eat, but the others' overzealous gusto in eating makes her walk away because she can't compete with that kind of energy.
Kate did have a couple of normal (albeit watery) poops yesterday, but I didn't think to get a picture. I have her in the Hutch waiting on one.

As to verifying sight, I tried her favorite foods (carrot peels and sunflower seeds), and she didn't react to anything. I even held my finger in front of her eye (both of them separately) to see if her pupils would dilate or she would blink, but there was no reaction whatsoever.
I would keep her in the Hutch overnight, but she seems to want to be with the others more than anything. It's one thing during the day, because she can hear them and she thinks they're right there, but I don't want to depress (or scare) her at night.

Thank you guys so much for responding! I think I covered everything. I'm going out now to collect some pictures to post!

 

[Alexandra Runner]

Okay, the phone won't let me post photos right now. I will try again later tonight.

 

[Alexandra Runner]

Sadly, Kate passed away this morning. It's sad, but I'm really glad she isn't suffering anymore.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Kate

 

[Alexandra Runner]

I'm sorry to hear about Kate

Thank you! ❤