Hen walking like she is drunk, wobbling and unbalanced.

Katie Scarlet

In the Brooder
Aug 12, 2017
24
11
49
Napavine Wa
A little history, about a week ago I lost a hen to what I thought was a predator attack, found her feathers in the yard bird was separated from the flock when I found her. She seemed confused but not hurt after that she went downhill, her comb became pale and she started losing weight became off balance and eventually died 10 days later. She was still eating and drinking so I had her penned up alone hoping she would recover. No other symptoms of illness to me. I am a newbie so i could have missed something important.
Now this other hen about a year old jersey giant x seems to be going down the same path. She laid an egg on Saturday, her comb is still red she is eating and drinking hanging with the flock still alert but acting unbalanced and she falls down. She was in her nest box yesterday for an hour or so I picked her up she is bald on her belly and around her vent. She didn't lay an egg and eventually got off the nest and roosted with the others last night.
they do free range during the day and coop at night.
could it be vitamin deficiency or something? Both hens i have had for about 8 months and they came from different locations.
Thank you for any help or ideas
 
If both these hens, the one that died and the JG hen, are the same age, the symptoms sound very much like it could be Marek's.

The symptoms also are consistent with poisoning. Look very carefully around the area your chickens range for machinery leaking fluids onto the soil, pealing paint, places where insecticide has been used where rain may have leached it out of soil and formed toxic puddles that the chickens drank from. Mold, soggy compost, and green, scummy water can also harbor toxins.

Sadly, there is no cure for any of these aforementioned things. If this JG hen dies, you can have an agricultural lab perform a necropsy. That can tell you precisely what killed your hens.
 
If both these hens, the one that died and the JG hen, are the same age, the symptoms sound very much like it could be Marek's.

The symptoms also are consistent with poisoning. Look very carefully around the area your chickens range for machinery leaking fluids onto the soil, pealing paint, places where insecticide has been used where rain may have leached it out of soil and formed toxic puddles that the chickens drank from. Mold, soggy compost, and green, scummy water can also harbor toxins.

Sadly, there is no cure for any of these aforementioned things. If this JG hen dies, you can have an agricultural lab perform a necropsy. That can tell you precisely what killed your hens.
Thank You for response. both of the things you mentioned are what I was thinking it could be. The hen that died was over a year old when I got her 8 months ago the JG hen is about a year old now. Other chickens I have are 2 hens that are 1 year old and a 3 month old (from the JG) and a 2 year old roo and 2 year old guinea hen. so far no others seem infected/affected. Other hen died 12 days ago.
 

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