Tipsy hens, what could be the cause? (UPDATE in post #4)

[Little One]

Two of my girls have had or are having health problems. Penny, a red sex link, at about 5 months old seemed to develop overnight a neck that was tucked back off to one side and over several weeks slowly grew weaker to the point that she could barely walk. We took her in and hand fed her mash and vitamins (learned by reading posts here) and now the neck is almost back to normal (they are 8 months old now), but she still stumbles occasionally and her balance is still off, but still provides her egg everyday. I noticed last week that our little Easter Egger (same age) has started to have balance issues, tipping over if she lifts a foot to scratch her face and I even saw her run into a patio chair leg.

She is sleeping on the coop floor because she can't balance on the perch. No problems with her neck though, so I have no idea if these are related issues or there is something contagious? Also, the EE had lice eggs and adults on her head that we have been treating. Not sure if that affects anything? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I recommend that you use sevin dust and dust all your chickens immediately. You'll need to dust the inside of their house, roosts and nests. Repeat dusting your chickens and inside their house in 10 days. Additionally I recommend that you use an eyedropper filled with vegetable oil or olive oil and put a few drops in both ears in all your chickens. Lice/mites deep inside the ear canal can cause vertigo. Vegetable oil/olive oil will smother the parasites and kill them.

 

[Little One]

I already had some permethrin powder that I dusted her with two mornings in a row after I found those lice. Sprinkled it all over the inside of the coop as well. I need to find an eyedropper and try out the vegetable oil in the ear. I tried looking into her ear, but she started squirming when I tried pulling back the little ear flap to look in. I hope that's all it is and nothing more serious. It hasn't been getting any worse that I can tell. I'll dust the rest of the guys as I can catch them.

 

[Little One]

UPDATE: The lice are gone. The EE is still walking with tail up and head tucked back to balance, stumbling and sleeping on the coop floor. Picking her up, I was trying to feel the abdomen and rear area because I got concerned after reading about egg bound/internal laying hens. (She has yet to lay an egg at 8 months old.) I could clearly feel her sternum(?), it was the long bone running from her chest to almost the vent area. There was no soft fleshy area under her tail that I could feel, to compare I caught two healthy hens and their rumps did not feel bony like the EE. She eats hungrily from my hand, but I don't think she eats when the other hens are around. In fact, i just realized she may be following me everywhere now because i have been hand feeding her when the other hens aren't around. She is drinking water fine. Her abdomen and vent area was not distended, just bony from what I could tell, so can I rule out her being egg bound or internally laying??

(Head always tucked back.)