Older hen with neurological symptoms

[Lechugapicante]

Hi BC friends! I’ve got a 7 yo Copper Maran having neurological symptoms.

Over a couple weeks I’ve noticed her standing off by herself more and being a little clumsy. Yesterday I noticed an odd head bobbing behavior, like she’s caught in a loop. She’s uncoordinated and seems like she can’t see straight. When she goes to peck food or drink, she misses. She’s walking into things and circling.

I think it’s something neurological though I’m not sure if it’s vitamin deficiency, toxin, or something else going on like a tumor. I posted some videos on youtube.

They are freerange and get Scratch and peck layer feed and grubs for treats. I just started chicken boost in their water and yogurt for her. I attached the boost nutrition label.

She had and recovered from flystrike a few months ago.

Have you seen this before? What would you do? Thanks for your help!

 

[Perris]

has she lost her sight? the pecking into thin air looks a bit like that. If so she'll be dehydrated, and need help with water and food to get back on track (if it is recoverable).
I'd offer water by blunt syringe to the side of her beak, and see if she drinks.

 

[Lechugapicante]

Yes, it seems like she can’t see and I’m helping her eat and drink. I’ll syringe too! Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi BC friends! I’ve got a 7 yo Copper Maran having neurological symptoms.

Over a couple weeks I’ve noticed her standing off by herself more and being a little clumsy. Yesterday I noticed an odd head bobbing behavior, like she’s caught in a loop. She’s uncoordinated and seems like she can’t see straight. When she goes to peck food or drink, she misses. She’s walking into things and circling.

I think it’s something neurological though I’m not sure if it’s vitamin deficiency, toxin, or something else going on like a tumor. I posted some videos on youtube.

They are freerange and get Scratch and peck layer feed and grubs for treats. I just started chicken boost in their water and yogurt for her. I attached the boost nutrition label.

She had and recovered from flystrike a few months ago.

Have you seen this before? What would you do? Thanks for your help!

I'd start with Vitamin Therapy and see if that helps. Give 400IU VItamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily along with a treat of egg for the uptake of E.

Is the crop emptying overnight?

 

[Lechugapicante]

Ok, thanks! I got Vit e and B1 tablets.

Yes, her crop is emptying over night.

 

[Lechugapicante]

We’re now day 3 into intervention with multivitamins and making sure she’s eating and drinking. She’s very lethargic, only standing or laying down in the run. She eats and drinks when I present her with food and water but it seems like she can’t see. Her head bobbing has decreased but I think it may be because she’s becoming more weak.

I noticed today that one of her eyes has changed a lot. I’m now afraid she has Marek’s.

 

[Eggcessive]

Could she have been pecked in the eye and maybe injured her head? The eye looks abnormal, but it has a white film or corneal abrasion, and it doesn’t look like the typical gray Mareks eye, but I can’t say she doesn’t have Mareks either. Does she seem to see out of her right eye?

 

[Lechugapicante]

Totally possible. I have one other bird with no symptoms, just her usual self. They free range so something happened while I wasn't home; though, it doesn’t seem like she was attacked by anything, no wounds or ruffled feathers.

I don’t know if she can see out of the other eye or not but she pecks at the air if I don’t put the bowl at her beak so she can feel where it is. When shes walking, she walks into things and is very uncoordinated.

 

[Eggcessive]

There are several reasons for chickens to become blind, including infection, cataracts, vitamin deficiency, trauma, and Mareks. I have noticed that her right eye has a dilated pupil, something seen in blind eyes, to let as much light into the eye as possible. The chicken’s left eye is far sighted, and the right is more near sighted. Hopefully, she can adapt to blindness if food and water are in the usual place. She might have bumped into another chicken who pecked her eye. I had a Polish hen who was pecked and blinded after she did that once. She had poofy feathers on her head and was rather clumsy. Here is the article about how chickens see:
https://www.val-co.com/10-interesting-facts-chicken-vision/#:~:text=Chickens are tetrachromatic.,helps them to track movement.

 

[Lechugapicante]

Oddly a few years ago after a molt, she came back fancier than ever: copper, shiny, saddle, and sickle feathers! She stopped laying and grew spurs, but she was her usual self otherwise. I assume something happened to her hormone production which caused her to transition. She’s a funky hen now!