URGENT Hen walking in circles with head down and eyes closed

[PuddleEndChicken]

OK it's up there now...

 

[Kiki]

OK it's up there now...

You have it set to private.
You have to change the setting on it to either unlisted or public in order for us to see it.

 

[PuddleEndChicken]

OK I've set it to public can you see it now ?

 

[LaFleche]

I have 3 Rhode Island Red hens which I adopted from my father in law and added to my flock about 18 months ago, so they could be a few years older than that.

Up to now they've been been fine and they have laid eggs etc, but recently all 3 looking like they are losing feathers all over or just have spikes where feathers were etc which I put down to pecking by other chickens and/or start of moulting. I was also about to check them for some sort of burrowing mite. The rest of the flock is fine it's just these 3.

Anyway the last 2 days one is looking a bit down (didn't go into the run last night and stayed out standing still - a bad sign). Today I found her by a fence, walking in circles with her head down and her eyes closed she kept that up all day. Haven't seen her eating or drinking.

I've read that it could be ear mites/brain tumour/virus (marek's ? newcastles ?)/vitamin deficiency etc,

• doesn't look like wry neck (I've had another chicken with that so know what it looks like). Does anyone have any suggestions ?
• I don't think it's vitamins, the rest of the flock is fine and they free range anyway.

How can I tell if it's an ear infection I was going to treat with invermectin would that help with an ear infection ?

How can I tell if it's a brain tumour or a virus ?

Many thanks for any quick answers as I'm not sure how long she can go on walking in circles...

She might have suffered a stroke which can also affect her vision.

Hold up feed and water to her beak so she can feel it and maybe she will eat and drink some.

Her legs are a severe case of scaly leg mites that need to be treated ASAP as the mites will transfer to the other chickens as well.

 

[PuddleEndChicken]

@Kiki @nuthatched did you manage to see the video ? To be honest she lives 95% on the layers pellets and only has a few grains of corn at night or occasional scrap so I really think it might be something other than the nutrition. I have 59 other chickens and they are all healthy on the same diet. Would appreciate your comments on the video, thank you.

 

[PuddleEndChicken]

She might have suffered a stroke which can also affect her vision.

Hold up feed and water to her beak so she can feel it and maybe she will eat and drink some.

Her legs are a severe case of scaly leg mites that need to be treated ASAP as the mites will transfer to the other chickens as well.

@LaFleche, yes i saw that and I'm going to put vaseline on them....or what do you suggest ?

 

[Kiki]

OK I've set it to public can you see it now ?

Yes can you go and get a clear close up picture of her legs too please.

 

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche, yes i saw that and I'm going to put vaseline on them....or what do you suggest ?

As you are in England, you can get Ballistol animal spray to treat the legs. Spray the feet and legs up to the parts where the feathers start for 10 consecutive days, but only every other day. This will suffocate the leg mites that live under the scales as it is a penetrating oil ,and after some time the crust will come off and leave the legs nice as new.

It is easier to do this at night when they are roosting: just touch their front and they will lift themselves up and you can spray the legs without even having to move them off the roosting bar.

 

[Kiki]

@Kiki @nuthatched did you manage to see the video ? To be honest she lives 95% on the layers pellets and only has a few grains of corn at night or occasional scrap so I really think it might be something other than the nutrition. I have 59 other chickens and they are all healthy on the same diet. Would appreciate your comments on the video, thank you.

This one bird may be eating more scratch and scraps than the others each day.

I'd stop feeding her everything else today.

Are you sure she doesn't have lice and or mites?

 

[Eggcessive]

It does look like wry neck symptoms, which can include the neck twisted up, down, or to one side, walking backward or in circles. Wry neck can heave several causes such as head injury, vitamin E or B1 thiamine deficiency, and is seen in some diseases that affect the brain (Mareks, avian flu, and other diseases.) I would use some vitamin E 400 IU daily along with a little cooked egg daily.