Young Hen Nodding Off?

[JHek]

Hi there, I have a very new Gold Laced Wyandotte about 10-12 weeks old who will just stand around with her eyes closed and nod her head (sometimes to the point it looks like her head is going to fall back onto her back!) She hasn't started laying yet, eats normally and is just as active and responsive as the rest except she keeps her eyes closed most of the time. Vet was stumped and confirms she's not blind or anything but thought it might be respiratory. I noticed some 'diarrhea' the other morning for the first time but I don't know whose it is! Help!

 

[PrairieChickens]

It may just be that you have a very lazy chicken. If you want to be on the safe side, you can try treating your flock for worms, but unless she acts antisocial or sluggish, I wouldn't be overly concerned.

 

[realsis]

You might want to also add a good poultry vitamin to see if that helps her. You can get a good vitamin at tractor supply. You can use it daily in the water. It's a vitamin and probotics mix and it's called Poultry Pro-Vita. I use it in my flock. It has a good amount of vitamins in it including E and B12. I think she might benefit from trying this on a daily bases. She might be needing a vitamin and this should help. It's great for the whole flock too. It's about 14 dollars for a small jar but it has its own measurer and lasts a good long time. See if giving her the vitamin and probotics helps. The probotics will also help her stool. I have been very happy with this product. Hope this helps and wish you the best.

 

[JHek]

Thanks I'll give that a go, the medication the vet provided for the possible respiratory problem hasn't made a difference so I'll give that a go. Starting to wonder if it's neurological =/