My hen is shaking her head, off balance, lethargic and maybe eyesight failing?

[kimzee2]

Hello, new to BYC

I have a year+ old lavender orpington hen, Astrid, that is weak and appears to have some balance issues, maybe vision (light clouding of eyes) and hearing and a bit weak/lethargic. Her coop mates, 4 other hens and my other large coop of 21 girls are otherwise symptom free.

She is getting some food and water, sometimes I have to bring her down to the food but I am not sure how much she is getting. Not seeing anything odd with her poop. No wheezing, no discharge from eyes. She is my favorite girl and am hoping for some help and suggestions here from the pros. I have a poop sample to go to the vet tomorrow. Thank you all

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Did she have any vaccinations, such as Mareks? I would keep her close to her food and water, offer her some chopped egg and aome plain yogurt with her usual feed. Put some electrolytes and vitamins in her water. Can she move her legs and wings normally? Check her skin around the cent and elswhere for tiny bugs (lice or mites.) Feel of her crop to check if it is empty, full, soft, or hard.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would look at her ears for signs of swelling or infection, and also try to determine how well she can see in case that could be causing the balance problems. Look at the other chickens' eyes and then compare them with hers for color, cloudiness, or pupil shape and size.

 

[kimzee2]

Had mareks vac at hatch. No other sx. No bugs but will check again, I use DE in coops and nest boxes, eyes look perfect except for cloudiness. Ears look fine. Crop feels fine. Will add more electrolytes etc. I use bobs. She is molting possibly but my other birds had no issues with that. She finds her way back to her roost at night but seems to want to Stay there all day. She just seems way out of it.

 

[azygous]

I'm going to be blunt and say that she would be dead by now if it was something extremely serious. I'm glad you're having a poop sample analyzed. It should rule out a lot of things.

The best thing to do is make sure she is hydrated and nourished so she can fight off whatever is making her sick. Electrolytes and Poultry Nutri-drench are the two best things to get into her. Offer her some boiled chopped egg, oat meal, and Greek yogurt to keep her energy up.

And hope for the best.

 

[kimzee2]

Thanks everyone. Will do a thorough check up on her in the am. Sample to lab in the morning, think I will bring her indoors for a few days and make sure she is getting extra TLC. Don't see mites, etc. but want to check her ears more. That seems the most likely as her sx fit that description. And thanks for the bluntness, I prefer it.