Sick hen

zybor

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Hi again guys.
i got a Lohmann Brown hen of around 2-3 years old. The first days she wouldent go out of the coop. At night she roosted and did not react to me comming into the coop (i thought she was just tired, the rooster dent like her that much, mabye its cus she was sick?) Then when i went into the coop one day she was just lying on the floor with her wings all the way out to the sides, and one leg out the front and one out the back, whit her eyes closed, i thought she was dead, but then she moved so i isolated her in a isolation cage.
While inspecting her i saw that she suddenly got blind (the pupills are big and non responsive), all her droppings are green, some lamness i think (she is rearly able to stand), loosing some fethers (molting mabye, and she is lethargic. Im wondering what the issue can be?
I was thinking that it might be Marek’s Disease
But i think that she may be to old to get that.

But i dont know.
I dont know if she can get her sight back or anything. Do yall think that she can recover her sight? Or Should i put her down?

View attachment 2248462
Here she is the one that i wrote about in the top. She couldent see, so she walked up in the water bowl. I did clip the beak aftet the pic.
View attachment 2248670
She has been imoroving in the last days she can stand a bit and wobble around, but she is still blind (i put her on the roost, she likes it there)
View attachment 2248672View attachment 2248673


These other two insedences happend a half year ago or something with some of the other chickens: There was also a young chicken who became lame and died over night (pic of it under, when i found it alive but lame). And i found another one dead in the laying box without any signs.
View attachment 2248717


Now for the poop pic (extra wet cus she jumped in the water bowl)

View attachment 2248678
 
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Not true. Although chickens approaching ten weeks to ten months commonly show symptoms if they've been exposed as chicks, any chicken carrying the virus can show symptoms at any time at any age after being asymptomatic. The disease can progress differently in different chickens with different symptoms.

If one of your chickens dies, a necropsy could confirm Marek's, then you'll not need to guess.
 
Not true. Although chickens approaching ten weeks to ten months commonly show symptoms if they've been exposed as chicks, any chicken carrying the virus can show symptoms at any time at any age after being asymptomatic. The disease can progress differently in different chickens with different symptoms.

If one of your chickens dies, a necropsy could confirm Marek's, then you'll not need to guess.
I didnt know that thanks ☺
 
Also, Marek's is one of the most contagious diseases of chickens and can be brought into your flock at any time and infect any chicken of any age. The disease is extremely tough and long lived in the environment and is easily transported on soles of shoes from other flocks or the feed store floor. It can travel on air currents from an infected flock upwind from your flock. It can last months or even years in the soil.
 
Also, Marek's is one of the most contagious diseases of chickens and can be brought into your flock at any time and infect any chicken of any age. The disease is extremely tough and long lived in the environment and is easily transported on soles of shoes from other flocks or the feed store floor. It can travel on air currents from an infected flock upwind from your flock. It can last months or even years in the soil.
I will try to get a vet or something to see if it is marek's, i can only hope that it isent.
 
Hi again guys.
i got a Lohmann Brown hen of around 2-3 years old. The first days she wouldent go out of the coop. At night she roosted and did not react to me comming into the coop (i thought she was just tired, the rooster dent like her that much, mabye its cus she was sick?) Then when i went into the coop one day she was just lying on the floor with her wings all the way out to the sides, and one leg out the front and one out the back, whit her eyes closed, i thought she was dead, but then she moved so i isolated her in a isolation cage.
While inspecting her i saw that she suddenly got blind (the pupills are big and non responsive), all her droppings are green, some lamness i think (she is rearly able to stand), loosing some fethers (molting mabye, and she is lethargic. Im wondering what the issue can be?
I was thinking that it might be Marek’s Disease
But i think that she may be to old to get that.

But i dont know.
I dont know if she can get her sight back or anything. Do yall think that she can recover her sight? Or Should i put her down?

View attachment 2248462
Here she is the one that i wrote about in the top. She couldent see, so she walked up in the water bowl. I did clip the beak aftet the pic.
View attachment 2248670
She has been imoroving in the last days she can stand a bit and wobble around, but she is still blind (i put her on the roost, she likes it there)
View attachment 2248672View attachment 2248673


These other two insedences happend a half year ago or something with some of the other chickens: There was also a young chicken who became lame and died over night (pic of it under, when i found it alive but lame). And i found another one dead in the laying box without any signs.
View attachment 2248717


Now for the poop pic (extra wet cus she jumped in the water bowl)

View attachment 2248678
Hi again guys.
i got a Lohmann Brown hen of around 2-3 years old. The first days she wouldent go out of the coop. At night she roosted and did not react to me comming into the coop (i thought she was just tired, the rooster dent like her that much, mabye its cus she was sick?) Then when i went into the coop one day she was just lying on the floor with her wings all the way out to the sides, and one leg out the front and one out the back, whit her eyes closed, i thought she was dead, but then she moved so i isolated her in a isolation cage.
While inspecting her i saw that she suddenly got blind (the pupills are big and non responsive), all her droppings are green, some lamness i think (she is rearly able to stand), loosing some fethers (molting mabye, and she is lethargic. Im wondering what the issue can be?
I was thinking that it might be Marek’s Disease
But i think that she may be to old to get that.

But i dont know.
I dont know if she can get her sight back or anything. Do yall think that she can recover her sight? Or Should i put her down?

View attachment 2248462
Here she is the one that i wrote about in the top. She couldent see, so she walked up in the water bowl. I did clip the beak aftet the pic.
View attachment 2248670
She has been imoroving in the last days she can stand a bit and wobble around, but she is still blind (i put her on the roost, she likes it there)
View attachment 2248672View attachment 2248673


These other two insedences happend a half year ago or something with some of the other chickens: There was also a young chicken who became lame and died over night (pic of it under, when i found it alive but lame). And i found another one dead in the laying box without any signs.
View attachment 2248717


Now for the poop pic (extra wet cus she jumped in the water bowl)

View attachment 2248678
She has been getting stronger, she eats and drinks when i put the stuff infront of her and shown her where it is. She is still blind, but it looks like she can see light and darkness.
Can she recover fully?
Can she get back her eye sight?
Or is she a lost cause?

Her is a better poop picture
20200721_225324.jpg
 
Last edited:
Whether she can regain her sight depends on what caused the blindness. As a general rule, though, if a chicken loses sight in an eye, it's not very likely she can get it back.

I have a very old hen that is a dozen years old and blind in her close seeing eye due to an avian leucosis tumor. She may be now losing sight in the other eye as well. She has trouble eating and drinking so I need to facilitate things so she can find her food and water more easily.

Another problem being a blind chicken is getting enough to eat because it takes ten times longer for her to eat since she's literally stabbing in the dark at the food. I realized this has become a serious problem because I noticed her sleeping a lot these past couple days, and thought she's getting ready to die finally. But her crop was empty. She was sleeping because she had no calories to fuel her. After I made sure she had all the time she needed and no competition, she ate her fill and no more excessive napping. She's actually as fit as she ever was, just blind.
 
Whether she can regain her sight depends on what caused the blindness. As a general rule, though, if a chicken loses sight in an eye, it's not very likely she can get it back.

I have a very old hen that is a dozen years old and blind in her close seeing eye due to an avian leucosis tumor. She may be now losing sight in the other eye as well. She has trouble eating and drinking so I need to facilitate things so she can find her food and water more easily.

Another problem being a blind chicken is getting enough to eat because it takes ten times longer for her to eat since she's literally stabbing in the dark at the food. I realized this has become a serious problem because I noticed her sleeping a lot these past couple days, and thought she's getting ready to die finally. But her crop was empty. She was sleeping because she had no calories to fuel her. After I made sure she had all the time she needed and no competition, she ate her fill and no more excessive napping. She's actually as fit as she ever was, just blind.
Thats a nice story, thanks for shearing it :)
 

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