Wobbly hen who’s not looking well.

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

yesterday I noticed my hen not being able balance or walk properly. I checked for bumble foot and scaly leg mites first but saw nothing, then I checked the feathers around the face and vent and didn’t notice any bugs but there was something that might’ve looked like eggs so I gave her some drops that gets rid of mites, life and fleas (eggs will be searched for again and treated separately since this likely won’t kill them). There’s no sign of respiratory issues either and she does not look eggbound either. A vitamin deficiency is possible but the thing is that on Monday (1 day before this started happening) I had some vitamins in the water which I’m aware it won’t prevent all deficiencies but it does contain a bunch of vitamins and minerals and I try to give them extra protein as frequently as I can so maybe it’s some illness I have not heard of yet. I’ve been making her scrambled eggs since yesterday and added a bit of this other supplement I recently got which contains a few trace elements and amino acids so I hope this helps in case it’s a deficiency but knowing what exactly causes the deficiency would be great so I can treat it better. Below are 2 photos attached of her face because the eyes were looking different than yesterday this morning, the little bump on the corner as well as another white spot on the face tells me that she might be busy developing fowl pox but can’t do this to a chicken right? Especially if it’s the dry/external one since I looked at the inside of the beak and there was nothing strange or any other symptoms.

I unfortunately I can not send a video of it but whenever she tries to walk she either falls sideways or back or looks as if she’s tripping on something. About 2 weeks ago I had 2 hens from a different flock on a completely different side of the yard who looked just like this and also had an infestation of those yellow lice on them which I did treat and eventually got rid of majority if not all of them but they did not improve in the 2 following days and they also received vitamins in their water the whole time so I eventually had them euthanized but I really don’t want to lose this blue hen as well These hens did eventually get quarantined in the backyard but it’s not very close to the enclosure one this sick hen is in and the ones in the enclosure even closer are completely fine.

I have no idea whether this is a deficiency, parasite or disease causing this but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

yesterday I noticed my hen not being able balance or walk properly. I checked for bumble foot and scaly leg mites first but saw nothing, then I checked the feathers around the face and vent and didn’t notice any bugs but there was something that might’ve looked like eggs so I gave her some drops that gets rid of mites, life and fleas (eggs will be searched for again and treated separately since this likely won’t kill them). There’s no sign of respiratory issues either and she does not look eggbound either. A vitamin deficiency is possible but the thing is that on Monday (1 day before this started happening) I had some vitamins in the water which I’m aware it won’t prevent all deficiencies but it does contain a bunch of vitamins and minerals and I try to give them extra protein as frequently as I can so maybe it’s some illness I have not heard of yet. I’ve been making her scrambled eggs since yesterday and added a bit of this other supplement I recently got which contains a few trace elements and amino acids so I hope this helps in case it’s a deficiency but knowing what exactly causes the deficiency would be great so I can treat it better. Below are 2 photos attached of her face because the eyes were looking different than yesterday this morning, the little bump on the corner as well as another white spot on the face tells me that she might be busy developing fowl pox but can’t do this to a chicken right? Especially if it’s the dry/external one since I looked at the inside of the beak and there was nothing strange or any other symptoms.

I unfortunately I can not send a video of it but whenever she tries to walk she either falls sideways or back or looks as if she’s tripping on something. About 2 weeks ago I had 2 hens from a different flock on a completely different side of the yard who looked just like this and also had an infestation of those yellow lice on them which I did treat and eventually got rid of majority if not all of them but they did not improve in the 2 following days and they also received vitamins in their water the whole time so I eventually had them euthanized but I really don’t want to lose this blue hen as well These hens did eventually get quarantined in the backyard but it’s not very close to the enclosure one this sick hen is in and the ones in the enclosure even closer are completely fine.

I have no idea whether this is a deficiency, parasite or disease causing this but any help would be greatly appreciated.

What are the drops you are using to treat mites/lice?

I'd dust her with a Permethrin based poultry dust, making sure to work it down through the feathers to the skin. You can find the dust at stores like TSC. Be sure to treat your coop/housing too. Permethrin spray is easy to use for larger areas.

Encourage her to eat her normal feed and stay hydrated.
For loss of balance, I'd give her 400IU Vitamin E daily along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex. A treat of egg daily will help with the uptake of E.

If you lose her, it would be a good idea to have a necropsy through your state lab so you can figure out what's happening since you recently lost a couple of other hens. You can find you state lab here:

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

What are the drops you are using to treat mites/lice?

I'd dust her with a Permethrin based poultry dust, making sure to work it down through the feathers to the skin. You can find the dust at stores like TSC. Be sure to treat your coop/housing too. Permethrin spray is easy to use for larger areas.

Encourage her to eat her normal feed and stay hydrated.
For loss of balance, I'd give her 400IU Vitamin E daily along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex. A treat of egg daily will help with the uptake of E.

If you lose her, it would be a good idea to have a necropsy through your state lab so you can figure out what's happening since you recently lost a couple of other hens. You can find you state lab here:

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

I am unsure about what the drops contain since I can not find the label right now but it says it treats mites, lice, fleas and all internal roundworms if that helps and the dosage is 1 drop/0.5ml of it per 500g of weight which seems like it could be some ivermectin based product.

For the dusting powder I have searched the local agricultural store through and there’s nothing like that, only a product containing carbaryl which I am unsure if I should on my chickens since it is not the safest thing out there. All I have is some cypermethrin (normal permethrin is really difficult to find here) which I read is similar but just a bit stronger than permethrin and safe to use on chickens as well so I could figure out the right ratio and try dipping her in some cypermethrin water?

As for the vitamin supplements I will try to get hold of some later today or else I’ll try to give her foods containing a lot those vitamins at least. Thank you very much for the help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am unsure about what the drops contain since I can not find the label right now but it says it treats mites, lice, fleas and all internal roundworms if that helps and the dosage is 1 drop/0.5ml of it per 500g of weight which seems like it could be some ivermectin based product.

For the dusting powder I have searched the local agricultural store through and there’s nothing like that, only a product containing carbaryl which I am unsure if I should on my chickens since it is not the safest thing out there. All I have is some cypermethrin (normal permethrin is really difficult to find here) which I read is similar but just a bit stronger than permethrin and safe to use on chickens as well so I could figure out the right ratio and try dipping her in some cypermethrin water?

As for the vitamin supplements I will try to get hold of some later today or else I’ll try to give her foods containing a lot those vitamins at least. Thank you very much for the help!

Where are you located in the world?

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

Where are you located in the world?

Southern Africa

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am unsure about what the drops contain since I can not find the label right now but it says it treats mites, lice, fleas and all internal roundworms if that helps and the dosage is 1 drop/0.5ml of it per 500g of weight which seems like it could be some ivermectin based product.

For the dusting powder I have searched the local agricultural store through and there’s nothing like that, only a product containing carbaryl which I am unsure if I should on my chickens since it is not the safest thing out there. All I have is some cypermethrin (normal permethrin is really difficult to find here) which I read is similar but just a bit stronger than permethrin and safe to use on chickens as well so I could figure out the right ratio and try dipping her in some cypermethrin water?

As for the vitamin supplements I will try to get hold of some later today or else I’ll try to give her foods containing a lot those vitamins at least. Thank you very much for the help!

An Ivermectin based product should treat mites, but for it to be effective the mites have to still feed on/bite the chickens, so this may be why she's not feeling very well.

If you are dealing with Lice, then the Ivermectin product will not be that effective.

If your Cypermethrin has instructions for use with poultry, I'd use that to at least treat the housing/coop to help get mites and lice under control. If there's instructions for dipping the birds, that will should work o.k., just use caution if dipping any birds that are already sick/weak, this can be shocking to them, it may be better to spray the product on them if that's an option.

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

An Ivermectin based product should treat mites, but for it to be effective the mites have to still feed on/bite the chickens, so this may be why she's not feeling very well.

If you are dealing with Lice, then the Ivermectin product will not be that effective.

If your Cypermethrin has instructions for use with poultry, I'd use that to at least treat the housing/coop to help get mites and lice under control. If there's instructions for dipping the birds, that will should work o.k., just use caution if dipping any birds that are already sick/weak, this can be shocking to them, it may be better to spray the product on them if that's an option.

I got hold of the vitamins yesterday and gave her a vitamin E capsule, before that I was feeding her exclusively cooked liver and egg with a bit of avo (I know it might not be the best thing for chickens but it’s the best source of vitamin E I had available) and I’m thinking about continuing with giving her only liver and egg until she gets better?

I then also followed your advice and added 3 tiny droplets of the cypermethrin to a misting spray bottle and sprayed some all across her making sure to do under the wings, around the face and between the tail feathers and near the vent the best since that is where the bug usually sit on them.

Our local vet in town is awful at having to treat chickens so going to him is not really an option but there’s a vet 2 and a half hours away who has his own chickens and I’ve heard fantastic things about and another one I’ve been to since he wasn’t available who was also helpful and knew what he was doing so if it is needed I’ll be able to take them to the vet on the 30th but until then I’ll try to just keep her as comfortable as possible and still treat for a deficiency and bugs since I still have no clue what disease could cause this.

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

I just went to check up on her and give the supplements and she has only worsened. She can barely stand up now and is laying slightly on her side and won’t open her one eye. It’s starting to look a lot like Mareks now the way she is laying now but I already contacted the breeder and he says she has been vaccinated for it but I’ve also read that having the Mareks vaccine doesn’t mean that they’re immune to getting it

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I got hold of the vitamins yesterday and gave her a vitamin E capsule, before that I was feeding her exclusively cooked liver and egg with a bit of avo (I know it might not be the best thing for chickens but it’s the best source of vitamin E I had available) and I’m thinking about continuing with giving her only liver and egg until she gets better?

I then also followed your advice and added 3 tiny droplets of the cypermethrin to a misting spray bottle and sprayed some all across her making sure to do under the wings, around the face and between the tail feathers and near the vent the best since that is where the bug usually sit on them.

Our local vet in town is awful at having to treat chickens so going to him is not really an option but there’s a vet 2 and a half hours away who has his own chickens and I’ve heard fantastic things about and another one I’ve been to since he wasn’t available who was also helpful and knew what he was doing so if it is needed I’ll be able to take them to the vet on the 30th but until then I’ll try to just keep her as comfortable as possible and still treat for a deficiency and bugs since I still have no clue what disease could cause this.

I just went to check up on her and give the supplements and she has only worsened. She can barely stand up now and is laying slightly on her side and won’t open her one eye. It’s starting to look a lot like Mareks now the way she is laying now but I already contacted the breeder and he says she has been vaccinated for it but I’ve also read that having the Mareks vaccine doesn’t mean that they’re immune to getting it

I'm so sorry she's not doing well.

Do the best you can to keep her hydrated and eating something.

Do you have access to poultry feed? Egg and liver should be o.k. if that's what you have.

Are all the mites gone or do you see any on her still? Mites can suck the life out a bird and cause a sharp decline.

Marek's could be a possibility. You are correct about the vaccine. It can be of benefit to help stop the formation of tumors, but unfortunately it does not prevent infection from the virus, so birds can still become sick.

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

Do you have access to poultry feed? Egg and liver should be o.k. if that's what you have.

I have some grower and layer pellets I can give her, I just did the liver and egg for now because of all the nutritional contents in it.

Are all the mites gone or do you see any on her still? Mites can suck the life out a bird and cause a sharp decline.

I never really saw any on her, just a few white things between the feathers near her face that could also have just been that keratin coating around new feathers or a few eggs so I treated for bugs and have not thoroughly searched for eggs or any bugs again will do later today to see if I should maybe spray some more cypermethrin on her in case I made the solution too weakly or it takes several treatments to eradicate them.

She’s eating less frequently now and it feels like she might’ve suddenly lost some weight but I still make sure she gets something in her body.

It’s just 2 more days then I can take her to the vet, I’ve felt like euthanizing her but it has only been 2 days that she has been getting extra supplements and since she has been treated for mites and they might’ve not taken affect yet and it would be best to get her to the vet so I can know what it is and what to do if another chicken gets this as well since I’ve already lost 2 others to this