PLEASE HELP!!! Suddenly Blind Rooster? Brain Damage Possible? Can't figure it out!!!

[ladya]

Need help please!!! I have an Ameraucana Rooster that is suddenly walking around like he's blind, and was NEVER like this in the beginning. He was always fine before and now he seems to be walking around in a daze - sometimes walking into things. He lets us get really close to him and pet him like never before. Constantly closing his eyes and standing there like he's about to fall asleep or really looks like he could just fall over at times. He is also loosing feathers near the base of his tail. However, it's a very symmetrical patch (almost like the shape of a baseball diamond). He still eats and drinks, but constantly sleeps in one of the little cubbies in our coop. We got him at TSC as a chick and have had him for a couple months. We have other roosters that get along with him and grew up with him as well as the other hens in the flock. He's always been the most seemingly cheerful of the roosters. Any ideas? The strange thing is... I just checked on them all in their coop now that it's night time and he's sitting up on the roost. How could he do that if he's blind? All of them had their eyes open except for him and when I petted him near his eyes they just stayed shut. And no... I don't think he's just sleeping. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Hoping this is not permanent, but want to know what to do to get him back to normal. <3 My Roosters! :0/

 

[chickngal98]

I have a rooster, Reggie, that is blind in one eye....(he is my avatar)
but it is so amazing how he can get up on the roost...he is a very lazy rooster...falls asleep a lot during the day when the girls and him are out in the yard....don't have any answers for you...we just got him at the end of May and my husband and I think he is just really old....good luck with your guy....

 

[ladya]

Thanks Chickngal! I'm not even sure if he's blind or just out of it. I'd rather he be blind than brain damaged. But really I'd rather neither. :0(

 

[chickngal98]

Did some kind of trauma happen to him today?

 

[ladya]

Not to my knowledge... but then again I was at work. I just had someone else suggest to me that maybe there was brain trauma. I mean, he's been loosing these feathers and we've never been through a "molt" before. So I'm not sure if that's this or not. Then just all of the sudden today he's acting this way. He literally walked up to our feet and just kind of stood there up against our legs... head into our legs, but didn't freak out and peck us or anything. Also, he kind of went along the side of the coop where the laying areas are and almost bounced along the wall the whole way like he was just following the wall by feeling it.

 

[chickngal98]

Sounds like the chicken version of a stroke or seizure.....

 

[chickngal98]

Has it been hot where you live? I just searched "stroke" and heat stroke popped up along with paralysis....do some searching here, this site is packed full of good information.....

 

[ladya]

Well... we live in eastern pennsylvania. It's been hot here, but not HORRIBLY hot. We also have electric in the coop and have a clip fan hooked up and running 24 hrs. a day. We have ventilation from the back and front of the coop and they have access to the outside via ramp into small enclosed run. We constantly give them fresh water and food, and just started giving the egg shell hardener. We've had quite a bit of thunder/lightning lately though and I'm wondering if that could've affected him at all. I read that drastic weather changes & storms can mess them up.

 

[Blessedchickens]

Where are you? Had it been really hot? It has been ridiculous in Texas and I was wondering if it could be heat stroke. You might put him in a crate and see if he can eat and drink. If he does that there is at least hope. If not you may have some decisions to make. Are there any vets that treat chickens?

 

[chickngal98]

we've had triple digit temps constantly here in IL....my poor girls...they like to hang out under the shrubs in the yard so during the day I wet that area down and they go and lay on the cool area....I also have two small kiddie pools out (for the dogs as well, but the chickens hop on the side and drink from the pools)....grapes and watermelon are great hydrating treats for the birds....