White Crested Polish: narcoleptic? sick? just plain weird?

[xraychic]

Hello,

My mother had chickens when I was a teenager and I had different interests at that time (friends, boys etc) so I really didn't pay attention to the illness of a hen. Fast-forward 30 years and now I have some girls of my own (you know you are getting older when you want chickens for a birthday present). I have one White Crested Polish that is either ill, narcoleptic or just plain goofy. I will let them out of their coop and they are fine. After about an hour or so, this one White Crested Polish will start to act sleepy. She will lay down and, it looks like, will try to fight sleepiness. Her poop looks good and she acts "normal" when I let her out. ... but a few hours later, she's in doing a Thorazin Shuffle. Your thoughts???

 

[realsis]

Not sure but sometimes coccidosis can cause sleepiness and lethergie. Bloody poo does NOT always have to be present for the chicken to have coccidosis. Symptoms are usually sleepiness lethergie ruffled feathers and with certain strains bloody poop. there are 9 different strains of cocci. Take a look on Google about coccidosis. Older chickens can get it too.if you think it might have coccidosis you can treat with corid
Corid kills all 9 strains of cocci. One misconception people make is they think they have to have bloody poo to have cocci. That's not true
Bloody poo happens with different strains
This is just a possibility.it comes to mind when you say your chicken acts sleepy. So take a look online at coccidosis and if you think she might have it you can treat with corid. I've never seen her so I'm not sure if its cocci or not but it could be something to watch for. Best wishes

 

[seminolewind]

Could be cocci. I would definitely give her a head to toe exam,, check her weight on her breast, check her for bugs, maybe worm them.

 

[sayga]

I'm on here searching for stories about something similar with a golden laced Polish I have. I've had her since she was 2 days old, and even then I thought she had balance problems. She would get unsteady and fall off her chick feeder or be easily knocked over by another chick. I figured she would grow out of it and that she was just by young and/or sleepy.

She is 14 weeks now and I often find her laying down to eat when the others are standing (I don't mean when they're all napping in the rhododendron bushes in the afternoons). I'll call them over for some food scraps and she runs over just fine, though sometimes she gets lost like she can't see well even though her crest isn't yet over her eyes, but then she will lay down next to a good bit of food and just lay there and eat.

Yesterday she was startled by one of the other chickens and she jumped. When she turned to move away, she started tripping over her feet, then composed herself and walked off with her legs crossing at every step she took. Like, the left foot stepped where the right one should and vice versa. She looked drunk!

My sister is a vet and checked her out a few times when she was small. I'm going to have her take another look tomorrow. So far the chicken is healthy and seems happy, but I just don't know what's going on with her. I have vertigo problems myself, and I said to my sister when Pinky Pie was just a week old that she looked dizzy too, like me. I know being chronically dizzy takes a lot of effort (to maintain balance since you have to do consciously what most do unconsciously), so that would explain her fatigue too. That is quite likely me projecting on to her, although it could actually be true.

So, I am wondering if other Polish owners have noticed their chickens seem dizzy, off balance or fatigued. I have another Polish hen and a probable rooster, and the hen with huge "hair" also lays down occasionally but doesn't seem dizzy. The probable roo seems fine.

 

[xraychic]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I did not mention that she is about 8 weeks old now and is still on medicated feed. If I gave her medicine for cocci, and she is still on medicated feed, do you think this may actually harm her? Oh, what to do. . . .what to do. . . . .

 

[Eggcessive]

If you put her on Corid for coccidia, you need to treat everyone, and you should switch them to un-medicated feed while they are on the Corid. Mix up what they will drink in 24 hours, mix new each day, and treat for 5 days.

 

[xraychic]

UPDATE: Thought I'd give you an update: The White Crested Polish, Doofus, is doing great. Only on 2-3 occasions did she act goofy (sleepy, aloof etc) and I did not give her any treatment of meds; I just kept an eye on her. Thank you all for the speedy replies, I apprecite it.
Xraychic

 

[louhart]

So I have a 4 month old white crested polish bantam, Gertrude. She's a cuddle bug, always has wanted to be held. She falls asleep everywhere since a day old chick. Lately when the girls are out of the run she starts to nod off, but always remains on her feet. Should I treat her with Corid?

Thanks!