What’s Wrong with Karen’s Eye?

[Corryn]

Hello

I have a 9 month old hen, a Blue Wyandotte or Orphington named Karen. She grew up with a lavender Orphington, her bff, Lovey.

Lovey got sick back in March but Karen did not. I isolated Lovey and after Lovey got better and she was well enough to go back with our flock, that’s when Karen started acting ‘off’.

Over the next few months, Lovey started to fill out but Karen did not grow quite as big as Lovey did.

Last month I noticed Karen’s left eye looked like it had a cataract and she was distancing herself from the flock. I tried to help her out by giving her scratch and worms away from the flock, and that’s when I noticed the ‘cataract’ was gone and her left iris looked like a star.

She looks like she is losing weight. I tried isolating her and giving her feed but she is stubborn and wants to scratch around on the outskirts of the flock, she doesn’t want to be alone. She’s not lethargic, she doesn’t have anything physically wrong other than she is thin and it seems she can’t see anything out of her left eye.

Attached are photos

Thanks for your help

 

[nuthatched]

Looks unfortunately like ocular mareks, hopefully it's something else

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I had a chicken that was partially blind and her eye looked a little like this. Check to see if her pupil reacts to light but I agree it does look like ocular Marek’s. Has it always been like this or is this new?

 

[Corryn]

Thank you, I appreciate your help. I researched and it’s Marek’s. None of the other ladies are affected, yet… and Karen is wasting away but she lives the best life she can and I’ll continue to give her love

 

[Corryn]

I researched based off your suggestions and I appreciate it

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen having a sign of ocular Mareks disease. Some chickens may have just the ocular form, while others may get the nerve type, the tumors in organs, or the skin type. I would try to take her aside and feed her separately with some mushy wet chicken feed, a bit of scrambled egg or tuna, and plenty of water. A vitamin such as human b complex or a chicken vitamin might help her appetite. Here are some good links to read about Mareks:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2016-08/246963.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Corryn]

Sorry about your hen having a sign of ocular Mareks disease. Some chickens may have just the ocular form, while others may get the nerve type, the tumors in organs, or the skin type. I would try to take her aside and feed her separately with some mushy wet chicken feed, a bit of scrambled egg or tuna, and plenty of water. A vitamin such as human b complex or a chicken vitamin might help her appetite. Here are some good links to read about Mareks:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2016-08/246963.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

Thank you for responding and giving me that info, I appreciate it! I did try to separate her a few times to feed her and she got all pissed off at me and hopped down to be on the outskirts of the other ladies What I do for her is I notice she likes to be in certain spots, aline, no one around or close by to them but on the other side of the barn hallway. So when the ladies go into the coop I spread some scratch, worms, etc in those spots so she will have it abailable for her the next day. I noticed the other ladies don’t go where I put it, only her.

I will do the eggs/mash, etc and try again, I’m sure she will wolf those eggs down, then get all Miss Independent, balk and hop back with the other ladies lol