Symptoms: moulting + "drunk"!!

aonb

Ive kept hens for many years, but this is a new one on me - hoping some hen keeping experts on here might have an idea:

one of my small hybrids, about 2 years old, is looking dreadful - a heavy moult I thought (and all associated issues with that) but yesterday she is very odd: walking on her hunkers, very wobbly and disorientated - looks like she is drunk.
She is still pretty alert, shes not injured as now and then she will walk normally for a minute, no difference in her feed or environment, she is still eating and drinking.

I gave her some fish for a protein boost and some cheese for a bit of calcium, other than that I am stumped. Any ideas? (She is a smashing little hen & of course my best layer)

Rho b

Any noticeable difference in her comb colour. The reason that I ask is if it is very dark or purple in colour it could indicate a heart/circulatory problem. Hybrids are normally fairly hardy due to their hybrid vigor but if overfed/obese then they can develop heart problems.
Is she still laying during the moult, most commercial hybrids will.
I know you say that you have been keeping hens for many years but did you check her for eggbound?

aonb

Thanks for the reply - and a v.good point. Thought of heart probs immediately.
Her comb colour is quite normal - but the top of her head (defeathered due to the moult) around her comb IS quite purple. Strange huh?

She is pretty small (Rhode Island/Leghorn x) and not fat/obese (unlike a totally obese pure breed Rhode Island I have have who is 8 years old :eek: - and hasnt laid since she was one year old)

Its this walking hunkering down and wobbliness that has me puzzled. Could be a stroke I suppose with the purple top of her head - tho I would expect the comb to be purple too??

(just saw your addition - incredibly she came out of the coop today and there was an egg in there - Cant believe she was in any condition to lay but maybe she did. She doesnt have the 'penguin-like' stance of the egg-bound hen.

Rho b

I would not be worried about the top of her head been discoloured due to the moult, only her comb. Birds show illness in their extremities first.
To be honest I do not understand what you mean when you say "penguin like stance". Egg bound hens do not stand upright like a penguin but prefer to stay horizontal, puffed up and appear miserable.
Have you examined her for eggbound?

aonb

No, not eggbound...

Rho b

Ok, so I presume as you are an experienced keeper she has been recently dosed for mites/lice and worms within the last 3 months.
The only thing that I can think of is feather pecking/bullying. Do you have a rooster running with the hens?

aonb

Thanks Rho B. I worm and use lice powder regularly. No rooster. These little hybrids are seperated from the rest of my hens for over 6 months as the pure breeds were beating them up - the pure breeds are about 3 times the weight of the hybrids :eek: There is no pecking order between these hybrids (strange) they are very gentle/sociable with each other...i.e no bullying/feather plucking. Thanks - all very valid suggestions -

I have come to the conclusion that she is having such an intensive moult - new feathers coming through all over the place - that she is totally whacked and putting so much into the new feathers that she has no energy left for anything else. I have just come in from giving her a protein boost - fish - ate a good bit of that. Appetite is ok, shes alert and moving about - just down on her hunkers all the time/moving crab-wise. Really amazing, and while I realize that moulting was tough on them, none of my flock have ever had much of a moult - they all just seem to loose small number of feathers (maybe their run is v.sheltered - dunno) and get over it. This poor little hen is probably totally lacking in protein putting out so many new feathers. At least I hope this is the solution. Will see how she goes on, pin feathers everywhere (probably v.sensitive with all that blood in them) so I dont want to stress her/pick her up to bring into the house etc, so will leave well enough alone for now and just keep tempting her with fishy bits

aonb

just in case anyone was wondering!! Little hybrid pretty much back to normal - no more staggering/weaving/wobbling. Feathers are really coming through. Giving her fish at least 1/day (bought some fishy cat food - she wouldnt touch it, the others inhaled it) her appetite is good again (layers pellets as a mash & mixed corn in the eve) - shes bokking the others on the head if they try to share her dish!

Ive never come across this symptom as a result of moulting, and spoke to a real hen expert who suggested that a heavy moult/small hen/cold weather combo would really exhaust their systems - calcium and protein was her recommendation - so after you have ruled out injury or being egg bound, if you see these symptoms while hen is moulting you might try upping the hens protein/calcium. (Oh the hen expert recommended - multivitamin tablets - nb: without Iron! - as a good booster too - must buy some for future use)