Urgent Help needed - second hen to go blind in less than a week.

[realsis]

I'm not sure but because one bird had a vitamin defiency do you think its possible this bird may also have one? I say this because my own bird has a vitamin E defiency and it caused wry neck and spasms or tiny seizures . sometimes vitamin defiency can manifest into many symptoms and brain swelling which might be the reason for her seizures.I've had two come down with defiency in this past month! First one is completely healed now thank God! But her head hung down between her legs and she couldn't walk and was having seizures.
After the vitamin treatment she's back to normal now. My second bird is makinging great progress as at first she could not walk and her neck was bent down and she was having seizures. after a week she's walking and now eating on her own. It takes around 3 weeks to heal. Maybe this is a possibility that she also has a defiency? Just a thought. I do know defiencies can cause seizures not sure about blindness? Its just a thought.. I wish you the best and hope things work out and you can figure this out! just thinking if one had a defiency perhaps another might also have one? Best wishes to you.

 

[ten chicks]

Just to give you an update. The vet thinks there may be lesions on Georgina’s brain caused by coccidiosis. Georgina cannot see but her eyes respond to light indicating something neurological. We have her on Trimacare antibiotics to see if that helps. The vet did not know a lot about chickens but she has a vet friend who has worked a lot with poultry and she is going to pick her brains and get back to me Monday.

I will keep you all posted and still welcome any advice or suggestions.

To my knowledge Coccidiosis does not cause blindness or neurological issues. I have never heard or read any medical texts indicating this to be so. I believe you are dealing with some other medical issue. There has been some mention on this post about Mareks disease,it is possible have you should look at symptoms. Have you brought any new chickens into your flock in the last couple of weeks,or been around another flock or auction? I am asking this because that might explain how you girls have contracted something that is now spreading through your flock.

What feed are they on? Certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause blindness and neurological issues. I would look at the vitamin B group,some symptoms include,nerve related issues,convulsions and seizures,eye issues.

check for moldy feed,algae in water,dead mice,rotten vegetation. Could they have gotten into any pesticides,have you used any worm medication recently?

 

[Araucana16]

I am helping out a person who has a duckling with similar symptoms, but the duckling started out with seizures and now is just looking sick and weak, so opposite. I am also helping a person who just had a hen die after having severe seizures and then dying that night. In both cases, I suggested Avian Butolism.

 

[Mitfordsmom]

Thanks Tenchicks,

well Georgina died not long after my last post - she had the most terrible spams and it was truly awful. The reason I wasn't sure about Marek's disease is that both girls eyes looked absolutely perfect. To add to my woes, I noticed another of my girls had a messy bottom this evening. I gave her a bath and two terrible things happened, one I realised she is going blind, again her eyes look perfect. Two, she had a terrible wound by her vent that was crawling with maggots. I cannot believe I allowed this to happen. We washed her and I covered the wound with an antiseptic cream which made the worms crawl out and we picked them all out with tweezers - the worst job I have ever had to do. I then washed the other four girls and checked them out but thank god they were clear - I have cut the feathers around all their vents to be on the safe side. I had already checked all the things you suggested and cannot find anything obvious. I am bordering on the obsessive about my girls and spend so much time with them - with a third girl going blind I think it has to be Marek's. And your question reminded me that I was at a "petting farm" about 3 weeks ago were there lots of free range poultry - I wonder if I picked it up there? Well I'll definitely have an autopsy done as I need to know what it is I'm dealing with and won't get any more hens til I know it's safe.
Thanks again,

 

[Mitfordsmom]

HI Guys,

just to give you an update. The stomach contents and faecal droppings didn't show anything strange at all. I've just had the results of the blood test, Mareks and Newcastles came back negative but I got a positive result for Infectious Bronchitis. I'm amazed as none of the girls have shown any signs. I'm picking up six new ex battery hens at the weekend and the vet/lab said they could vaccinate them for me next week but it would mean a long drive to and from the lab with them. As battery hens my girls that died should have been vaccinated against IB and so should these new girls I'm collecting. Do you think I should have the new girls vaccinated? Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

IB will generally run it's course in a month, and although it usually isn't life threatening in older hens as it is in chicks, it can cause them to have damage to kidneys and affect egg laying abilities. The vaccine would help keep the new girls from getting it since it can be carried by the old girls for up to a year.

 

[Mitfordsmom]

Thanks for that. I have the vaccine ready to give the new girls, I've also been told to give my four old girls it too, I'm just a bit worried as 2 of them aren't in great shape with old age in general and 2 seem to be just getting back to normal. I'm worried it will make them sick (or worse) again. I've said it before and I'll say it again - who said keeping chickens was easy?!!!

As an aside, when I was trying to figure out what made my poor girls go blind (which may have possibly been caused by a pathogen relating to IB), the chicken vet asked if I'd been giving them Baytril which I hadn't but apparently if you give Baytril neat to a chicken it can make them go blind - that's good to know for future reference.

 

[Suzie]

Of no help to you in the losses of your girls..... But... one of my beloved chickens went blind suddenly, she also lost her balance as she was totally disorientated... she recovered after some considerable time and the general concensus was that she had eaten something toxic to cause the problem....just another aspect to consider.

 

[Mitfordsmom]

Hello there - yes I think something like that must have happened my poor girls - it was terrible and it's still a worry that I don't know exactly what caused it. I now have 8 new ex-battery hens as well as my four old girls. I gave them all the IB vaccine and so far they all seem fine with no adverse reactions to it. Obviously I will keep the new girls separated for some time to come. They are very nervous of humans (with every reason to be) but I'm sure they'll soon learn to trust me with the help of grapes and mealworms!

 

[Suzie]

Bless you!

I have had ex-battery hens and when they come to understand the love and homely environment that they can be afforded they are so endearing...enjoy them as they will their new found freedom to live their lives in a loving home with you... it is so sad when one of our beloved ones dies but take comfort in the fact that they knew the best that life can offer them....