Chicken seems a little drunk.

[new2thischick]

We can't find any sign of injury. She just can't seem to keep her balance. Her legs look fine. Her poo is normal, eyes look good, comb bright red.. drinking and eating.. even attempting to forage. We give them organic feed and let them free range in the afternoons. Could it be neurological. When she tries to preen herself she gets really off balance. Any ideas? Been going on almost a week.. some days better than others.

She also can't perch very well, again a balance issue and seems to fall more to the right..

I have read MANY other threads but none seem to fit our situation.. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm glad she is still eating and drinking. I have a couple of conditions you could look into: Wry Neck and Marek's disease. You might want to do a search on this site to get more info and see if the symptoms match what you are seeing. It would be helpful if you let us know the breed and age of the chicken.

 

[new2thischick]

Thanks! I will look into the diseases you mentioned. She is a RIR and we got her as an adult so the age is estimated between 2 & 4 yrs old.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Hmm... I think that means it is probably not marek's because that tends to affect chickens in the first year. It does sound neurological. maybe others will reply with some more ideas.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Any chance of spoiled feed or mold in the coop?

 

[seminolewind]

head injury?

 

[new2thischick]

Husband made the decision to Cull the chicken. He said he didn't want to take any chances and the vet nearby told him that it sounded like Mareks Neuro.. despite the age of the chicken.

.. It was getting pecked at my our other hens.. Just getting worse and worse.. We did check the feed and coop for mold and didn't smell or see any.. Thanks for the info everyone..

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Sorry about that, but it is a sound decision considering that marek's or any neurological condition would be tough to treat to say the least. Thank you for sharing the vet's feedback.