Suddenly blind 7-8year old red sex link hen

[KittyHawk]

I'm sorry she's not doing well. It's often not until necropsy that we know for sure what happened. I have an older hen that is starting to decline. I thought she might be having vision issues, but she's able to pick up scratch off the ground no problem. She just isn't moving around as much, losing weight. It's often hard to know. Even in hens that have not laid in quite a while due to age, reproductive problems can happen. Cancers, infections, etc. Organ failure is also possible. Do her droppings look normal? All you can do is try. I would alternate electrolites with plain, fresh water. You can also try nutri drench for a few days, that can sometimes give them a boost. If you lose her, I highly recommend necropsy, that way you will know for sure. It can give you peace of mind, it can provide useful information for you going forward. I know it can be an emotional decision, I look at it as the last gift they give me, teaching me something that may very well help me care for others in the future.

Thank you for this. Shes still with us. We started her on blood pressure meds and she starting to make an improvement. I’m still giving her b complex and VitE, I don’t know how long to do this for? Any advice?

 

[coach723]

The B complex is very safe, no worries on too much of that, extra will be excreted (it's water soluble). The E can be bad if given for too long (fat soluble), if after a few weeks on that you don't see improvement, I would stop the E. As for the BP meds, I've no idea on that, have never given it, or heard of anyone else giving it, so can't really say on that. If you are giving it on the advice of a vet, then follow their instructions on that one.

 

[KittyHawk]

The B complex is very safe, no worries on too much of that, extra will be excreted (it's water soluble). The E can be bad if given for too long (fat soluble), if after a few weeks on that you don't see improvement, I would stop the E. As for the BP meds, I've no idea on that, have never given it, or heard of anyone else giving it, so can't really say on that. If you are giving it on the advice of a vet, then follow their instructions on that one.

Thanks. Yeah the BP meds are under doctor supervision was more wondering on vitamins. Meds in chickens are fairly new as they haven’t really been considered “pets” until the last 7-10 years or so.