I have a R.I. Red hen that steps REALLY high, up to her chest, when she walks. Does anyone know why? Her feet, legs, and eyes look fine, and she is eating and drinking, but she almost acts like she’s not sure where the ground is. The back of her feet touch her chest before she steps, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what her problem is. None of my other hens are doing it.
Why is my hen stepping SO high when she walks?
Hi Glenda: Generally we assume the normal for all of our birds. High stepping can be the result of blindness, or at least partial blindness. I have only seen that once before and found out the bird was blind or at least partially blind. I did some tests with her and realized when I would swing a duster infront of her she would never flinch. Being no expert I never did know if she was totally or just partially blind. Good luck as you check her out...Hay
I think you're right Hay. ....Poor thing. :(
Glenda, as long as she's getting around successfully, and no-one is picking on her, I would just let her be. Animals often adapt to blindness so well their humans aren't even aware of it. Especially when it happens slowly, they simply adjust, and go on with their lives. The biggest caution is don't move anything! *G*. I learned this from cats and dogs with vision issues, that as long as things stay where they "should" be, they do fine. But, if something suddenly "appears" in their normal path, they are confused and upset. Routine is king. Many animals latch on to another critter as a seeing-eye helper. Watch and see, if you get a chiance, it can be very interesting:)
Catmad, I had that very experience with a cat of ours, when our girls were little. Sassy would climb into a chair and hiss at any visitors who came near her. She stayed in the chair and didn’t attack so we let her be, but we just thought she didn't like visitors. Then one day she walked into our kitchen and looked up at me; one of her eyes was dilated huge while the other was normal. I took her to the vet and sure enough, she was blind. I never rearrange furniture and so she had the whole house memorized so we never had a clue. .....You're right, animals adapt quite well. I'll keep an eye on my hen....as she appears to "march" across our yard.
Do chickens get string-halt?
I had a blind hen who did fine for years. She seldom ventured very far from the coop. However she was eventually taken be a hawk.
Catmad is quite right, my hen that was blind did quite well, I would watch her and she was quite smart, she did bump into things at times but she always walked quite slowly. It was comical watching her and she always knew right where the water and food was. If I remember right we had her for quite a while, but I can't remember what eventually became of her...Hay
What is string-halt?
It is a neurological disease of horses that causes them to have exaggerated motion of one or both hind legs.
Ahhh..... :( That's sad.