Hen acting lethargic and off

[Silly Indie]

Hello! Long time no see! One of our hens, a novagen called Nikki, has been acting off for the last couple days her symptoms are: lethargy, weight loss (not a lot but enough for me to notice), wheezing every now and then, and just all around not being herself. Her comb and wattles are nice and red, eyes are still very bright, and she has a great appetite. She spent the night inside last night and all day as well since she was getting beat up by one of the bossy hens. If she is still doing OK tomorrow then I might put her out in the old rabbit hutch so she can get some exercise and fresh air. Any ideas what might be going on?

 

[Bonwell]

Hello! Long time no see! One of our hens, a novagen called Nikki, has been acting off for the last couple days her symptoms are: lethargy, weight loss (not a lot but enough for me to notice), wheezing every now and then, and just all around not being herself. Her comb and wattles are nice and red, eyes are still very bright, and she has a great appetite. She spent the night inside last night and all day as well since she was getting beat up by one of the bossy hens. If she is still doing OK tomorrow then I might put her out in the old rabbit hutch so she can get some exercise and fresh air. Any ideas what might be going on?

Tough to say as there are so many potential viruses a chicken can get with those same symptoms, but you're definitely doing the right thing. Spotting it early, keeping it away from the rest of the flock and making sure it has fresh food and water. That's a great start. if it gets worse though you might wanna take her to a vet.

 

[Silly Indie]

Well I noticed that she was way off whenever she was pecking at food so I tested her vision and she’s blind in her left eye… So that’s likely a factor for the weight loss if she was struggling to peck the food. Also with past blind birds we’ve had (one was fully blind and the other two were half) it took them a while to adjust and while doing so they didn’t want to move much so hopefully all it is is just her adjusting to her new way of life. She’ll still be isolated from the others until we can determine whether or not she actually has some kind of illness. Not sure what caused her blindness, the eye looks normal, no sign of any trauma or anything. Fingers crossed.

 

[Bonwell]

Well I noticed that she was way off whenever she was pecking at food so I tested her vision and she’s blind in her left eye… So that’s likely a factor for the weight loss if she was struggling to peck the food. Also with past blind birds we’ve had (one was fully blind and the other two were half) it took them a while to adjust and while doing so they didn’t want to move much so hopefully all it is is just her adjusting to her new way of life. She’ll still be isolated from the others until we can determine whether or not she actually has some kind of illness. Not sure what caused her blindness, the eye looks normal, no sign of any trauma or anything. Fingers cros

 

[Bonwell]

Well I noticed that she was way off whenever she was pecking at food so I tested her vision and she’s blind in her left eye… So that’s likely a factor for the weight loss if she was struggling to peck the food. Also with past blind birds we’ve had (one was fully blind and the other two were half) it took them a while to adjust and while doing so they didn’t want to move much so hopefully all it is is just her adjusting to her new way of life. She’ll still be isolated from the others until we can determine whether or not she actually has some kind of illness. Not sure what caused her blindness, the eye looks normal, no sign of any trauma or anything. Fingers crossed.

Yeah, if she's just half blind she should adjust pretty quick! But it makes sense that she would be lethargic at first getting used to it. But yes I agree you should keep her away from the others just to make sure. Good luck

 

[Silly Indie]

Sadly, our sweet Nikki took a downward turn last week and the vet diagnosed her with cancer. We didn’t want her to suffer anymore so we let her go… She is sorely missed but at least I know her last couple weeks were surrounded by love and being spoiled with all kinds of treats.