Blind Hen????

[Frickster]

Has anyone ever seen this? I recently acquired a young Brahma hen. She stumbles and seems to have a clumsy time getting around. She kind of walks like she has diving flippers on and sometimes bumps into things. She's being beat up by the other hens. She whines all the time and seems confused. She's easy to pick up and isn't spooked by anything. Very sweet hen...
One of her eyes has a milky spot in the center of the pupil but the other looks fine. She doesn't seem to be favoring either side though.
I have her separated now as the others won't let her eat but this can't go on forever. Does anyone have any ideas about what to do? Will she always be picked on or will the others get used to her eventually? I got her at the same time as 6 other young hens from the same (local) person.

 

[Blackberry18]

Has anyone ever seen this? I recently acquired a young Brahma hen. She stumbles and seems to have a clumsy time getting around. She kind of walks like she has diving flippers on and sometimes bumps into things. She's being beat up by the other hens. She whines all the time and seems confused. She's easy to pick up and isn't spooked by anything. Very sweet hen...
One of her eyes has a milky spot in the center of the pupil but the other looks fine. She doesn't seem to be favoring either side though.
I have her separated now as the others won't let her eat but this can't go on forever. Does anyone have any ideas about what to do? Will she always be picked on or will the others get used to her eventually? I got her at the same time as 6 other young hens from the same (local) person.

Sounds like Leukosis (Marek's) to me. One of the symptoms is grey eye.

Doe sit look like the right pic?

 

[Frickster]

Not the redness, and not quite that milky. Let me see if I can get a pic.

 

[Frickster]

Here's a pic of her eye. Her other one looks completely normal. I don't see any other 'issues' with her. She is eating and drinking fine when I give her her own food and water. She follows me around while I'm in the garden. It's almost like she has limited visibility as she seems to follow my voice.

 

[Blackberry18]

Here's a pic of her eye. Her other one looks completely normal. I don't see any other 'issues' with her. She is eating and drinking fine when I give her her own food and water. She follows me around while I'm in the garden. It's almost like she has limited visibility as she seems to follow my voice.

I just say what a lovely Brahma! (I really want one!)

I'm guessing cataract. Google it, maybe that's it. I can't see a line, but still.

 

[Frickster]

Okay... after googling "chicken cataracts" I found out that Brahmans are susceptible to cataracts. I also found this, whose accompanying picture looks like my hen's eye:

AVIAN ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

(Slide study set # 5A)​

Avian encephalomyelitis (AE) is an infectious viral disease of young
(1 to 3 week old)chickens, turkeys, pheasants, and quail. The causative
virus is a member of the Picornaviridae family. Older chickens may have
cataracts as a consequence of AE infection.Susceptible laying hens can
have reduction in egg production and hatchability. Because the virus
can be transmitted through the egg, immunization of hens is critical
for control of this disease.​

​

I'm going to keep an eye on her for a bit. I do have someone that has offered to re- home her and keep her in close quarters if I can't keep my other girls don't stop picking on her, and provided this is NOT mericks.​

She does follow me around like a puppy. She's pretty sweet.​

 

[Akrnaf2]

It could be also a result of Marek's virus infection!

 

[Frickster]

It could be also a result of Marek's virus infection!

Here's the symptoms of ocular Merics, which do not fit her description, not does her eye look like any photo examples of Merics I've seen.

Ocular Marek's (ocular lymphatosis):

• • Discoloration of the iris. The iris may turn grey or a pale blue color.
  • Deformity of the pupil. The pupil may change shape. A typical form is a “keyhole” shape but the pupil may also look as if it is “melting” or might become amoeba-like in shape.
  • Pupil with no reaction to light changes. The pupil in one or both eyes may become constricted in appearance and might not react to changes in light. This can create a 'tiny pupil' appearance, called Miosis.
  • Blindness.

Her iris is normal, her pupil is round and does react to light changes. She seems to have some visibility in her right eye, just not good. Her left eye is fine.

 

[Junibutt]

Here's a pic of her eye. Her other one looks completely normal. I don't see any other 'issues' with her. She is eating and drinking fine when I give her her own food and water. She follows me around while I'm in the garden. It's almost like she has limited visibility as she seems to follow my voice.

Thats 99% cataract. I have seen my parent and grandparents develop one and can't mistake it for something else.

 

[FrizzlesRule]

That definitely looks like a cataract. My 13+ Porcelain Belgian D"Uccle has them in both eyes and I've had other chickens with them, but they were also old. I have never seen them in young birds. How old is your Brahma?