Fancy the possibly blind and asthmatic chicken?

[sixlittlechickens]

Reposting in the correct forum!

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while, but I'm glad to be back, thought I'd share a bit about one of my chickens. She's having a tough time right now.

Fancy Pants is an ~2 yrs old silkie (who we think is a hen but she's never laid. looks a bit like a roo but has never crowed.) She is super sweet and fluffy and has some rather unique traits. First, we're pretty sure she's mostly blind. She can see a little out of one eye, but needs help with a lot of everyday things. This can cause problems when she can't find the food/water/the exit to the coop. The other thing about her is that she gets sick often. She acts as if she has gapeworm, but there is no evidence of that and the other chickens show no symptoms. It only happens when it's super cold, or dusty. Right now she is having one of those episodes, which is really scary and I don't know if she can make it through this one (but I'm not going to lose hope).

She ate a scrambled egg with veggies and is sitting on my lap as I write this. I have just given her a syringe of water with olive oil, electrolytes and probiotics and one of plain water.

Thanks for reading. If you have any ideas about what's going on with Fancy, please respond!

*Update: she is doing a bit better and is now snuggled up in a cardboard box with fluffy towels and the cat watching curiously*

 

[Wyorp Rock]

First, we're pretty sure she's mostly blind. She can see a little out of one eye, but needs help with a lot of everyday things. This can cause problems when she can't find the food/water/the exit to the coop. The other thing about her is that she gets sick often. She acts as if she has gapeworm, but there is no evidence of that and the other chickens show no symptoms. It only happens when it's super cold, or dusty.

Are you keeping the feathers trimmed from around her eyes?
Are you keeping food/water, etc. in the same place all the time?

Is her crop emptying overnight?
You mention that she has symptoms when it's cold and dusty - what is she doing? Coughing, sneezing?
Are her nostrils free and clear of debris?
Can you get a video of one of her episodes so we can understand better? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

Thanks for your reply! Trimming her face feathers hasn't really helped in the past, but I will definitely try again. Food/water are in the same place.

Is her crop emptying overnight?
Crop was completely empty when I found her, so I gave her scrambled eggs, veggies, and crumbles and it emptied fine overnight. She wasn't pooping for a while either, until this morning - clearly a result of not eating.
You mention that she has symptoms when it's cold and dusty - what is she doing? Coughing, sneezing?
She is wheezing/sneezing (labored breathing). She likes to sit alone in the back of the coop and only comes out occasionally to eat (she hates the cold). When she has an episode I notice right away and she gets immediate treatment.
Are her nostrils free and clear of debris?
Yes, no discharge or anything. Also checked her throat - nothing wrong.

After staying in overnight and being fed/pampered 24/7, she is much better and I put her back out with the flock. I just don't want it to happen again.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

I think I have a video somewhere, I will try to find it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for your reply! Trimming her face feathers hasn't really helped in the past, but I will definitely try again. Food/water are in the same place.

Is her crop emptying overnight?
Crop was completely empty when I found her, so I gave her scrambled eggs, veggies, and crumbles and it emptied fine overnight. She wasn't pooping for a while either, until this morning - clearly a result of not eating.
You mention that she has symptoms when it's cold and dusty - what is she doing? Coughing, sneezing?
She is wheezing/sneezing (labored breathing). She likes to sit alone in the back of the coop and only comes out occasionally to eat (she hates the cold). When she has an episode I notice right away and she gets immediate treatment.
Are her nostrils free and clear of debris?
Yes, no discharge or anything. Also checked her throat - nothing wrong.

After staying in overnight and being fed/pampered 24/7, she is much better and I put her back out with the flock. I just don't want it to happen again.

You're thorough!

She's sitting in the back of the coop because it's cold. I wonder if she's just being exposed to a lot of dust from bedding and maybe ammonia from droppings.
Chickens are dusty no matter how much you clean.

I usually don't recommend this product since it's basically Vick's for Chickens, but I think I would try VetRx for her and see if that helps.

Another option would be moving her where she's getting more fresh air, but is protected from drafts? Maybe a straw filled box that she can snuggle into that's closer to the pop door, so there's a bit more fresh air flow for her.

Just some thoughts.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

Thanks so much! I will definitely try that!