Video - Wobbly Hen - Is she hurt or sick?

[sjmarshall87]

Ya know a few years ago when I first moved to NC my dog had out of the blue balance issues similar to the issues the chickens are having... When inquiring with the local community I had found out that Salamanders and lizards carry a poision on their skin that causes these issues.. I dont know the possability of a chicken ingesting a lizard or salamander but its a possability... DO you have many of these running through your yard??

 

[Judy]

Hey, now that's a thought. When my cat eats one of ours, we call them chameleons here as they change colors, they indeed look like they have a neurological disorder for a day or two.

 

[sjmarshall87]

Yea, this issue with my dog made him act like he was drunk.. Couldnt stand straight, walked crooked, toppled forward when he was trying to eat.. the symptoms only lasted about 48 hours and then he was fine.. Other dog owners in the area said it was caused by these little critters.. Can tell you one thing... he hasnt chased after one of those little salamanders since! lol.. I say to keep watch to see if the chicken gets better and watch your yard closely as it might be a lizard/cameleon/salamander...

 

[NC29mom]

My chicken has been like this for going on a month now......so, wishing it was a little critter, but guessing it's something else all together.....Niftychicken..is your hen any better? And if so, what did you do? Has she gotten worse? Are any of your other chickens sick? Just wondering.......

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

She's definitely a little worse today and we aren't seeing any other symptoms at all. So far (knock on wood) the other hens all seem ok.

Since she's our oldest hen and I tend to be paranoid about disease, I'm tempted to put her down and send her overnight delivery to UC Davis where they will do a free full necropsy on her. That will tell me what she died of and if it is something I need to worry about. We had it done with a RIR that just dropped dead one day:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2137974#p2137974

 

[NC29mom]

I'm almost scared to ask, but how do you put a chicken down humanely? I'm just not to that point yet with my roo......

Thanks for sharing the link. I had actually thought about doing that earlier, and thought I had seen a link about sending your chicken off to autopsy if unsure of diagnosis.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Lots of great discussions on this throughout the forum, but the preferred method (best for the bird) is beheading.

We're not too keen on that method, so we've used CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the past using a large 30 oz tank of compressed CO2 to ensure the death.

 

[welovechickens]

My SLW had a couple days in the late spring last year where she was droopy and definitely "off", though she didn't have balance issues. I'm almost certain she ate a toad that temporarily poisoned her! She eats anything that moves, and we had toads everywhere in the yard at that point.

 

[Qi Chicken]

We had a hen with a similar issue. It did not resolve quickly. She was just a drunken chicken for a long time. At the worst she would just flop onto her side and lay there, couldn't get up. I tried all sorts of things but I don't think anything really helped. I finally decided she wasn't contagious and put her back with the others. She gradually (VERY gradually) improved. She is now pretty much normal. She doesn't fly well, sometimes kind of staggers if she is walking on uneven ground. I spent so much time sitting in the run holding her (she always wanted to snuggle up under my chin) that she now hops on my lap whenever I sit down. She has become one of the sweetest hens we have. She wasn't all that sweet before! Our hen was under a year old, so I don't know if it is similar to what you have going on. I'm glad you seem to have someone that is trying to get to the bottom of it. Good luck!!

A lot of people said vitamin B for neurological issues. I did it but don't think it helped. Maybe worth a try though.

PS- We did find a dead toad in the yard that had maggots in it. I thought she had some type of botulism but the online chicken doctor said if she had it she would have died right away.

 

[lady feathers]

Quote:
With either the mites or the ear infection.... would the chicken look as though it was trying to rub something off it head??? I have a silkie chick 9 weeks old that's head is upside down now and turned to the side about 95% of the day... eats and drinks upside down (as best it can). When she is standing there she often moves her head in a big circle across the bedding as if she is trying to rub something off and shakes her head alot which throws her off balance. If you have a suggestion one way or the other it would be great she has been like this for 3 days now... I am really hoping to start treating her somehowelectrolyte packages are good but I can't find anything specific to start treating her for. Thanks! Would it hurt to try both (the oil and the hydrogen peroxide).... which one first?