HELP! Blind hen

[Poultry Place]

Yesterday I noticed my hen has gone blind. It happened suddenly so I was told it is likely because of a vitamin A and E deficency. I went to Wal-Mart to get Polyvisol but they didn't have the right one so I then went to tractor supply and got rooster booster but apparently that isn't the right thing. So now today I was going to get nutridrench. Before I do though is it too late for her vision to come back?

 

[coach723]

Was she seen by a vet? There are many causes of blindness. If you have some close up pictures of her eye it might help get suggestions from others, someone may have experienced what you are. If there are pupil irregularities then Marek's disease is possible.
If it is a deficiency then imagine it depends on how long it's been going on. You can use a vitamin E capsule (400iu) and mix in some food for her to eat. Castor oil is a good source of vitamin A, you can mix 2 Tbsp into 5 lbs of feed. There are many greens that are also good sources of A. Both A and E are possible to over dose on so I would not go beyond a couple of weeks of supplementing. If her vision improves, you will have your answer. Here are a couple of links that may help:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vitamin-a-deficiency
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry
https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/blindness/

 

[Eggcessive]

Infections, eye injuries, cataracts, high ammonia levels from poop in a coop with poor air circulation, avian encephalomyelitis or AE, and Mareks disease can be causes of blindness. Pictures of both eyes might be helpful. Poultry Cell and Nutradrench do contain vitamins A, E, and others, and also have electrolytes and minerals. I think those are best if given only 5 days since extended use may cause some diarrhea. Cod liver oil has a lot of vitamin A. Both vitamin A and E are fat soluble vitamins, so only a small daily dose is needed, and too much is bad. I would look for foods rich in E and A. If you are feeding a fresh and balanced chicken feed as the main part of the diet, that may be enough. Sunflower seeds, tuna and salmon, crushed almonds, and broccoli are high in E. Foods like tuna, sweet potato, carrots, spinach and broccoli are high in A.

 

[Poultry Place]

Was she seen by a vet? There are many causes of blindness. If you have some close up pictures of her eye it might help get suggestions from others, someone may have experienced what you are. If there are pupil irregularities then Marek's disease is possible.
If it is a deficiency then imagine it depends on how long it's been going on. You can use a vitamin E capsule (400iu) and mix in some food for her to eat. Castor oil is a good source of vitamin A, you can mix 2 Tbsp into 5 lbs of feed. There are many greens that are also good sources of A. Both A and E are possible to over dose on so I would not go beyond a couple of weeks of supplementing. If her vision improves, you will have your answer. Here are a couple of links that may help:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vitamin-a-deficiency
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry
https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/blindness/

Three days ago she was fine. Then 2 days ago she was outside free ranging with the others but she was just standing around and occasionally moving to a different spot. But she was on the roost later that night so she had to have been able to still see. The next morning she was standing in a nesting box not responding to my finger moving around her eyes. I gave her rooster booster and found out it doesn't contain selenium for the vitamin E to absorb. So this morning I got nutridrench and gave her 1ml. Still as of now there is no improvement. As of now I don't have a picture of her other eye.

 

[coach723]

Cooked egg, sunflower seeds, tuna, all contain selenium, enough to help with the E.