Neurological Issues In Chickens?

[Elie And Her Flock]

Hey there, does anyone know or have a list of the possible neurological issues in chickens? I'm afraid that one of my older hens has dementia but there are very few online resources as to how and why a chicken could possibly get this.
symptoms:
1. lagging behind the flock
2. forgets who/where she is
3. isn't sick with some sort of virus - she's been dewormed and was on Corid for 2 weeks just in case and we had a vet check her out. No symptoms of a disease other than diarrhea.
4. the rest of the flock isn't sick, and this has been going on for a while
5. I have a specific call for giving out treats that she now never answers to
etc.
Help!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hey there, does anyone know or have a list of the possible neurological issues in chickens? I'm afraid that one of my older hens has dementia but there are very few online resources as to how and why a chicken could possibly get this.
symptoms:
1. lagging behind the flock
2. forgets who/where she is
3. isn't sick with some sort of virus - she's been dewormed and was on Corid for 2 weeks just in case and we had a vet check her out. No symptoms of a disease other than diarrhea.
4. the rest of the flock isn't sick, and this has been going on for a while
5. I have a specific call for giving out treats that she now never answers to
etc.
Help!!!

She's two years old, and stopped laying in the winter and hasn't started up again. She hasn't lost weight, but she's awfully hard to pick up since she's so unbalanced and disoriented.

How long has she been sick - showing symptoms?

You're vet performed a fecal float to check for Coccidia and worms?

What de-wormer did you use to treat her (product and dosage), how much Corid did you give for 2 weeks?

What do you feed?
Can you feel her abdomen for bloat or fluid (below the vent between the legs)?

Have you looked in her ears for infection, lice/mites?
Any chance she got into something moldy, rotten or toxic?

If you can take a video of her actions so we can see her that may help - upload to youtube and provide a link.
If video is not possible, photos of your hen and her poop?

Any swelling of the legs, feet? Any lice or mites on the body?
Is her crop empty first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks?
Have you added any new birds in the last 30 days?

If you haven't done so, getting her hydrated would be good - if she's that disoriented, then dehydration can make it worse. If you have them - give her some electrolytes for a few hours, then switch out to plain water. Once she's hydrated then see if she will eat a little for you.

Hopefully with more information we can make better suggestions.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'll tag some more experienced members, hopefully they recognize the symptoms. @Wyorp Rock , @Eggcessive

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How old? Have you felt her? Is she losing weight?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How long has she been sick - showing symptoms?
About a month and a half.

Your vet performed a fecal float to check for Coccidia and worms?
Our vet checked for coccidia, and we had him just look at her poop with a naked eye to check for worms. Should we have him perform a fecal float just in case?

What de-wormer did you use to treat her (product and dosage), how much Corid did you give for 2 weeks?
We used Verm-X and crushed it up in her food. It's an all-natural wormer, we didn't want to jump on giving her a strong goat wormer and risk making her condition worse. We gave her 2 teaspoons of liquid Corid per gallon (around 9.5cc).

Can you feel her abdomen for bloat or fluid (below the vent between the legs)?
It's a little bloated.

She walks in a hunched and shuffled way

Thank you for the information, photos and video.

One more question LOL Is she laying eggs?

The way she is hunched, shuffling and you mention the abdomen is a little bloated - I would suspect she is suffering from a reproductive disorder. Peritonitis, cancer, salpingitis, etc can be common in laying hens. If this is the problem, then sadly, there is not a lot you can do but offer supportive care - making sure she eats/drinks, lice/mites don't invade, etc.

It would be good if possible to get a fecal float to check for worms or deworm her it the vet can't do one. The only worms one might see by the naked eye is a heavy infestation of roundworms (you would see that too) or you might see tapeworm proglottids (larvae) but you would see those as well since they move. For the most part worms live inside their host, if there's a heavy load, then sometimes worms are expelled - a fecal float looks at worm load/egg count.

The poop is not normal. I would try to encourage her to drink. It looks like she's eating ok.(?) but I would feel her crop at night to see if it actually has food - sometimes chickens can act busy/normal just so the others don't notice.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh jeez. No, she's not laying. She stopped laying when winter came and hasn't started up again despite it being sunny and warm here. Our local vet specializes in avian care, so I'm sure we'll be able to get a fecal float. If she does have a reproductive disorder, is there a way to test her for it? Is she suffering? Is it cruel to keep her alive?

@Wyorp Rock I looked up treatments for ovarian cancer, and "Salpingohysterectomy", or spaying of chickens, is one of the treatments listed. Is this an actual possibility? Is it considered cruel?

See more at: http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/ovarian-cancer

There is no test for reproductive disorders, but an avian vet may be able to perform an xray to see if there's a mass.

Some do give their hens Suprelorin implants to stop them from laying and there have been a couple that have had surgery.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/any-luck-with-surgery.1284583/

While it's interesting to me that some people may take these steps. Personally I would not put a hen through surgery nor even implants. I will offer supportive care and see that they eat/drink are comfortable, etc. but there comes a time when the end is near and putting them out of their misery is the right thing to do.

Consulting your vet is always a good idea. They can tell you the risks involved and hopefully they will be honest with you.

 

[LaFleche]

Is she in pain? Is there something I can give her for that? If so, what pain medicine would you recommend, and how should I administer it? And in what dosage?

How can I make her more comfortable? Is there certain things that chickens like or don't like when it comes to comfort? Do they like blankets? What temperature should my room be? More light or less light? She seems to like it when I play really mellow music, so that's good. Sorry for all the questions! I'm so worried about her.

I just love your text and how much you care and want to help or at least make her comfortable

But just as @Wyorp Rock already stated, this seems to be an internal disease, most likely of the reproductive system where not good outcome is to be expected.

You could twist a big towel to some kind of ring to support her in the comfortable position. And see a vet.

 

[LaFleche]

Metacam/Meloxicam would be the better painkiller for chickens, a neighbor got this dosage for his 3 kg cockerel from an avian vet: Meloxicam1,5 ml/mg (liquid) 1 ml once a day. So it is 0,5 ml per kg bodyweight.

 

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche @Wyorp Rock shes now breathing with her mouth open, but it’s 65 degrees out and a decent breeze. Her breathing is ragged.

This makes me think that she might just not make it until monday to see the vet.

Did you already de-worm her? Maybe she might eat some scrambled egg with mixed in de-wormer. There would be no harm in de-worming her before the results of the faecal float arrives.

 

[LaFleche]

@Wyorp Rock @LaFleche
Hurray!! Just got back from the vet. It's egg peritonitis, and he drained her abdomen and gave us some medicine to give her. She's doing so much better already!!

I'm glad she is feeling better and you as well!