Hen with: Feather Cyst, Feather Loss and Walking Backwards

[Mother_of_chickens]

Hello!

Our Polish Hen has been rapidly losing feathers and weight over the last week.

Occasionally she will walk backwards or act a bit spastic leading us to believe it could be neurological issues. In the past we’ve been able to mitigate the backwards walking / chaotic running by trimming her feathers so she can see better.

She’s also been widely uninterested in eating- her crop has stayed mostly empty the last two days. I can get her to eat a few bites of scrambled eggs and electrolyte water by syringe.

I noticed she does have an ingrown pin feather on the top of her head (picture attached). Could this feather cyst be what is causing her other symptoms?

Nutridrench is arriving in the next hour and I plan to give her vitamin E with eggs and tuna to help with a possible vitamin deficiency.

Should I attempt to clear the cyst at home?

Should I try and find a vet that can test for Mareks?

P.s I have her inside to monitor and keep from the rest of the flock until we know more information.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck symptoms can be seen sometimes during molting. I would try to get her drinking, and add a bit of water to anything that she wants to eat (egg, tuna, canned cat food, ground meat or fish) to tempt her. Molting chickens may lie around and not have much appetite. Just make sure that there is shaded water and food available in more than one area. Some vitamins and electrolytes for a couple of days would help.