Help Please. Chicken has issues

[chickiepie]

I just went to let out my hens for the morning. One of them was sitting there with her head flopped waaaaay back, face pointed up. I went to pick her up and she is just flopping around with no balance. I don't know if she can use her legs even. I moved her away from the other chickens, but I am unsure how to proceed. She is a Barred Rock, hatched the end of March. My other hens are all laying, but she isn't. Her comb is smaller, and she is not very bright. I actually saw her run full speed into the fence the other day because she couldn't figure out how to get back into the run. I don't think she is blind, she does pick around and look for food, she isn't small (just her comb and wattle). Any advice would be appreciated, even if I need to cull her. I don't want her to be miserable.

 

[chickiepie]

I thought I would add that I recently switched to a new kind of layer feed. I had them on layer, then went to get another bag and they gave me pellets for some reason. Arrr!! They wouldn't touch the pellets, so I mixed it with grower feed which I had for about a week til I could get back to the feed store again. I give them a handful of scratch a day (for 5 hens to share) and scraps, usually veggie peelings. I don't know her exact weight, just that she looks to be of equal size to the rest of the girls. She has no signs of trauma, and the other hens are OK. They have shavings for bedding (pine) and some hay in there too.

 

[DDRanch]

I don't know what might cause this behavior, perhaps others on the site can be specific. I would definitely separate her from the others, make sure she has fresh water and food and see how she is later today or this evening. Make sure she is warm and safe. If you have a large dog crate, fill it with pine shavings, food and water and let her rest by herself. Let us know? And were you able to see if she could walk?

 

[chickiepie]

I do have her separated and she is doing better, but...I talked to my friend who has had chickens her whole life and she thinks that I should cull her. She is also eight months old, and not laying. She gets confused and has even run into the fence in an attempt to get back into the run. I had chalked it up to her not being very bright, and maybe a 'late bloomer,' but after seeing her yesterday I think something is wrong with the poor girl.