Ask Our Experts October/November 2024

Blind Chick

Hello,
I realized that my chick is blind. I thought she was asleep, but after watching her for some minutes, I knew she was blind. How can I solve the problem?
Kazibwe Shadrach

Unfortunately, if your chicken is blind, there likely isn’t a way to reverse the blindness. However, you may need to separate her from the flock to keep her from being picked on. I wouldn’t allow her to free-range, since she may have trouble getting back to the coop and is more likely to be taken by predators.
Once you have her in an area of her own, you can show her the food and water by tapping where it is. You’ll want to ensure you always keep the food and water in the same place for her. Here’s a link to some great information on blindness in chickens. www.PoultryDVM.com/Condition/Blindness.
Best of luck,
Audra

Broody Duck

Hello!
I have three runner ducks, about 11 months old. They reliably leave me three eggs in the duck house each morning. I’ve noticed within the last couple of months that they each have shown some broody behavior — head tucked into the body and quacking at me in an irritated way from time to time. It’s off and on, and one more than the others.
Today, one of the ladies returned to the house for the first time and made a little nest in the corner. I don’t think she’s trying to lay anything else, and if I peek at her through the window, she gets very irritated, and quacks, and will mosey back out. She’s come out a few times, eaten, had water, and then gone back in. I guess my question is, should I stop this if it continues? Close the door on the duck house until bedtime?
I don’t have a drake, so there’s nothing fertile. Ironically, I do have a rooster but no broody chickens. Thank you for any advice!
Meg

Since you don’t have a drake, there’s no chance of eggs hatching, so I wouldn’t worry too much about disturbing her. I would go about your usual activities. She’ll eventually get over the broody phase and return to her normal behavior.
Good luck,
Audra

Broody birds can stop laying eggs, so if your duck’s daily egg production is important to you, you might want to take steps to encourage her to stop nesting and brooding. The article How to Break a Broody Hen references chickens, but the same tactics will work for ducks as well:
Good luck!
Ana

Thank you so much! This is very interesting, and good future information, as well. So far, collecting the eggs and then closing the door to the house seems to be keeping her relatively normal. She still puffs herself up and quacks at me (unless I bring an offering of peas). I also see her go to the door and peer in the windows occasionally, so she still wants to go in and nest. She’s the first one in at night when I lock them up, sitting as soon as she enters. However, most of the day, as long as she can’t go in the house, she swims, eats, and hangs out with the other ducks. I’m also introducing ducklings to the flock, and she’s not being aggressive or anything (actually, the ducklings are more prone to being bossy, it seems).
Anyway, thank you so much. I really appreciate the expertise offered so readily through Backyard Poultry!
Cheers,
Meg

Sick Hen

My chicken is arching her neck back and sporadically walking backward. She also had a very watery stool. She’s eating and drinking and has no other symptoms, no obvious respiratory issues, eyes are clear, nothing else seems off.
Backyard Poultry subscriber

I’d suspect wry neck, even though loose stools aren’t a symptom. The loose stools could be something completely different; for that, you might want to check for worms, cocci, or any number of things.
For the wry neck, I’d up her vitamins with a focus on vitamin E. Add in selenium to help with the uptake of the vitamins. Dandelions, turnip greens, beet greens, sunflower seeds, and sardines are all high in vitamin E. You can also use capsules if you’d like. Sardines are also a good source of selenium. So, a few cheap cans of sardines might prove quite helpful.
Wishing you and your hen all the best,
Audra

What’s the infection?

I just started a flock of backyard chickens, 11 to be exact. Recently, two of them got sick, one which died, and the other is struggling to walk but has a good appetite. I isolated both as soon as I saw their wings droopy. What’s this infection and is it curable? She’s standing today. Thanks for listening.
Lillian

Sorry to hear your birds are sick! It’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on without seeing your flock, but Marek’s Disease comes to mind right away. It can be pretty common, especially in unvaccinated birds. Symptoms include lethargy, nervous system issues, and paralysis. There’s unfortunately no treatment for Marek’s. You can learn more about it in All Cooped Up: Marek’s Disease.
Also, check out this chart that outlines the symptoms of nine infectious chicken illnesses. It may help you identify symptoms and figure out what you’re dealing with.
Hope this helps!
Ana

I did some other research and found that Marek’s was the possible problem. So, I isolated the sickly birds but lost two of them. I scrubbed down everything with a mild solution of bleach and Lysol … so far, so good (keeping my fingers crossed). I purchased them from a reliable breeder. They’re beautiful (expensive) babies, and I hope all remains well. Sorry to take your valuable time, but I truly appreciate your email. Thanks again!
Lillian