[cheeps]

Does anyone know anything about lopsided hens?! I bought 4 young growers in the summer, 3 of them started laying in December, the 4th has yet to start.  She looks to be in really good condition but a few days ago she showed signs of not being altogether happy and stood back from the other hens.  I know my hens really well and apart from her behavior there were no signs of anything else being different.  Half way through the next day I noticed she had taken herself off to the hen house and I thought that she was finally going to lay her first egg so I left her alone.  Several hours later there was no egg and she still hadn't emerged.  She had backed herself into a corner and was looking at me with her head cocked to one side.  I decided to take her indoors to have a proper look at her.  She was unable to stand, seemingly having trouble balancing and was holding her head to one side with her neck bent too.  Her crop was completely empty so she obviously hadn't been able to feed.  I feared Marek's Disease and took her to the vet.  He also thought it could be Marek's Disease but suggested we treat her for an inner ear infection as Marek's can't be treated anyway and gave her an anti-inflammatory injection and an antibiotic injection  showing  me how to do it so that I could inject her with antibiotics twice a day at home.  The following morning she could stand and walk again and was holding her head much better although she was still lopsided. Her comb and wattles are a good healthy colour, she has a good appetite and is now eating, though not as much as I would like, is pooing normally but today she doesn't seem to be holding her head quite as well although she is still able to stand and walk a little. (I have kept her inside) Does any of this ring any bells to anyone?  I'd love to receive some advice please.  Thanks.

[mrs chook]

Hi, i had a chook with similar symptoms last summer. Unfortunately, when i took her to the vets they put her to sleep
This is a great site & someone will be able to advise you more.

Keep us up to date on her progress!!

[cheeps]

Thanks for your reply. Sorry to hear it didn't end well for your hen.  Hettie seems a bit better and then a bit worse so I really don't know what to think.  She does however have a temp of 42 degrees.  Nowhere does it say that hens get a temperature with Marek's so I'm hoping this is a good sign.  She has 4 more days of antibiotic injections to go and possibly 1 more steroid injection on Monday. Fingers crossed.

[joyfull]

ask your vet about wry neck.

[barley]

it sounds positive that she is improving

I suffered Mareks in my flock 5 years ago and it takes its toll quickly on the whole flock so it doesn't sound like its that

never heard of wry neck joyfull , that's another one to add to my list to watch for , mind you I do have fully vaccinated birds only now due to Mareks and I must admit they do seem less prone to some of the awful diseases out there 

[cheeps]

Well we have decided not to have another steroid injection today as things seem a little better although she still isn't drinking for herself and her head sometimes still hangs to one side.  She is eating, although not as much as usual and i am a little worried that her crop isn't emptying overnight and that there is a bad smell emanating from her mouth. I have experience with compacted crop and sour crop so I shall be vigilant. I'm glad that one of you doesn't think it is Marek's and I don't think it is wry neck, if this is what is also known as torticollis, as she doesn't have all the symptoms.  I thought at 42 degrees she had a temp but I have now found out that a laying hen's temp normally goes up to over 43 degrees depending where exactly in the laying cycle they are at.  I'm hoping that the vet was right by diagnosing a middle ear infection although she doesn't have any discharge which someone told me to look out for. (perhaps we caught it early enough). She still has a few more antibiotic injection left to go and I'm hoping that by the time they are finished still will be right as rain.  Today we have allowed her back with the others (or rather she made a break for it whilst I was trying to put her outside in the run) and she has enjoyed their company and the sunshine.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.  Thanks to everyone for your support.

[cheeps]

Last night I let Hettie sleep with her mates as she was desperate to stay with them.  This morning she felt very hot around the head, was holding her head a bit more to one side again and also has one eye shut (the one that faces downwards).  I brought her in for her meds and noticed yesterdays food is still in her crop and she wasn't putting up as much of a fight. I put her out in the run as it is a lovely day today but she just kept pacing up and down wanting to get out to be with the others - I relented and let her out.  She marched off quite determinedly to catch them up and held her head almost normally but I noticed her eye remained closed. Is she just pretending to be alright in front of the others so as not to show weakness?

[traacyken]

aw cheeps i hope she makes it. not a clue what it could be tho x

[helens-hens]

Hi cheeps, in my experience they will try and appear OK & well in front of the other birds so as not to show weakness and risk being bullied.

Hope she gets better soon

[cheeps]

Hi.  Yes i agree that she might be putting on a brave face, the same thought passed through my mind too .  I have been to the feed supplier who also stocks supplements but they didn't have the selenium to go with the Vit E and calcium which is used to treat wry neck so I popped along to the vet again.  They had never heard of treating hens this way, only sheep! Anyway,a dose was worked out and they have given me 1 injection of Vit E and selenium and another steroid.  The sour crop isn't improving either.  The eye that was closed this morning is now open again and she seems to be enjoying the sunshine with her fellow feathered friends.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

[Prod]

Hi if you have read my posts recently you will know that I have lost half my pullets/POL hens. They showed similar behaviour to yours but it wasn't until I took one for autopsy that we found out what it was. My Vet, Rosie,  is great, she keeps chickens so is always interested, anyway  the initial response was possibly Mareks. She wasn't convinced and asked for more tests on the liver and when that came back she was right in that it wasn't Mareks but Histomonas. This is usually found in turkeys and sometimes wild birds (so I know where it came from) and Rosie said her hunch came from another client who lost his flock of 2500 turkeys just before Christmas. There is no know cure but a course of very strong wormer seems to have worked and (touchwood) I haven't lost anymore. Having said that I am not buying anymore hens this year and I am in the process of moving pens to cleaner parts of the field whilst I disinfect the original area  just to make sure.  Not sure if any of this helps? but good luck with yours.

[cheeps]

Hi Prod.  well she has now had 2 steroid injections in case of inflammation, a week's course of antibiotics by injection in case of infection, and selenium, vit E and calcium in case of wry neck. Today her neck was almost straight but then she seemed out of sorts again.  I checked her over to find she has a hard, swollen and very hot wattle, a crushed nasal and possibly a cracked beaked which she can't move properly.  Either she attempted flying and crash landed against something hard or she has been attacked by one of the other hens. Oh no, I've just had an awful thought!  So that the hens could come right down to the house to enable me to keep an eye on her I left the gate between the hen garden and ours open - what if it slammed shut on her in a gust of wind?  Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[traacyken]

cheeps you have done the best you can its up to her now. life is full of its or buts xx

[cheeps]

Thanks but I really feel I've let her down  Maybe it won't look so bad in the morning.  Fingers crossed.

[Prod]

Sometimes you just can't win. Because of where I live there are literally hundreds of wild birds and I feed them from the usual types of feeders hung outside my French doors. On the field I think I was feeding more wild birds than my chickens, some even got underneath the coops and into the runs, so I changes tactics and now use spring feeders and a Grandpa's feeder. Unfortunately the wild birds still try to get at the pellets that drop out the sides and, chickens being heavier than blue tits and finches, I have found a couple that have obviously been trapped when the chickens step off the treadle and the lid comes down, so now I feel guilty about that!!!