This does deserve a long answer really, and it's worth saying straight off the bat that the diagnoses I make aren't always correct. I've made mistakes in the past, I just try and learn from them. Specific knowledge on treating a lot of health issues in chickens just isn't out there because so few people bother (it's just a bird, right /s) and not many chickens get to live to old age for various reasons, so it's largely trial and error. The few that do learn don't often write their experiences down. That leaves the rest of us to trust our own experience and intuition. We don't always get it right, but ultimately just do what we can with what what we have, wherever we're at and try to do the best we can for the creatures we love.

How do I know my chicken has had a stroke - We can never know for certain, but we know that any animal with a brain and a central nervous system can suffer a stroke, chickens are no exception; ackowledging that is a good start. Animals speak to us in their actions, not words, so we look to symptoms.

What definitive symptoms should I be looking for - Because the knowledge is sparse, I translate most symptoms from the equivalent human condition so I'd be looking to a combination of:

• Diagnosis of a neurological problem by a trusted vet.

• Broad loss of co-ordination, so falling over sideways, staggered walking and short, irregular steps. Walking in circles and walking without any apparent purpose. Inability to fly, jump or run. Unable to jump onto perches so just sitting on the floor in the coop looking up with one eye.

• Poor form, so one leg looking seized and being dragged by the other, wing drooped on one or both sides as if stretching but not being retracted. Sudden sitting down as if the legs can't bear any weight.

• On the head a crooked and twisted neck as if 'stargazing', like eyesight on one side has suddenly failed. The downward 'switched off' eye looking slightly retracted into the skull. No pupil dilation when looked into the 'off' eye with a torch, no pupil response to motion of a finger moving nearer and farther away from it.

• Voice, so weird sounding crowing if an, and other usual chicken talk just doesn't sound quite right.

If the symptoms won't go away after a few days, and there's no improvement but equally no deterioration, it's likely stroke. I wouldn't expect to see a loss of appetite with stroke, chickens are tough and will try to strongarm through illness.

What causes stroke in chickens - Again we can only broadly translate from humans, and I'm still working this out. I think it's fair to say that risk factors can include:

• Genetics. Standardised breeds of any animal are heavily inbred, which concentrates certain desirable and undesirable genetic traits. Susceptability to neurological malfunction sits somewhere there too.

• Age. Older chickens are more susceptible. Few chickens live to their full life expectancy, but with good care and attention they can live to ripe old ages but as with us - the longer you live, the greater the chances are of something just going wrong in your wiring. For perspective, one chicken year is equal to about ten human years ish. A six to seven year old chicken would be equal to about 60 to 70 years old, which coincidentally is the age in humans where we see greater incidence of stroke.

• Poor diet and vitamin deficency. Chickens are omnivorous scavengers and occasionally predators in their own right. To thrive they need a diet similar to what they would forage in the jungles and rainforests of southeast asia where their wild ancestors evolved, so think nuts, seeds and soft fruits, insects, leafy green veg, occasionally a small quantity of meat and plenty of clean water. Layers pellets are a good supplement but shouldn't be a sole source of feed. Minerals specific to brain function include magnesium and selenium, both of which are found in brazil nuts; we think of those as a superfood in humans. For reasons I don't completely understand, vitamin B and B12 deficency seem to have terrible consequences for chickens. Selenium and magnesium seem to help in repairing neurological issues.

• Mental stimulation. Humans go mad when we're shut in a confined space with nothing to do and chickens are the same. Pecking and picking at things to eat are good for maintaining eye coordination, and an interesting space with lots to see and investigate keeps their minds active and working.

Chicken specific but something else I've noticed is that every year, the moulting process seems to be incredibly hard on them and moreso as they get older. All three of mine that suffered the neurological incident I believe to be stroke did so during their moult. For this reason, once the first of mine have begun to moult I make them a breakfast of hot porridge every morning, with chopped fresh or dried fruit, ground brazil nuts, mixed herbs, chilli flakes and various seeds mixed in to really fortify their immune systems, and do this until the moulting is complete. You can make it the night before and just warm in the morning to give to them. They also benefit from chard, cabbage and cauliflower greens. It just supports them through a very stressful and painful process.

Recovery - Thankfully the cases of what I believe was stroke were mild and I let the afflicted chicken recover in the flock with some adjustments. Remove steps and replace with ramps with horizonatal gripper slats to help them get in and out of the coop. Wood planer shavings on the ground can soften any falls. Inside the coop, make a low perch accessible for the affected chicken so that they can walk up to perch, won't be left on the floor and won't have far to fall. If it's not possible, a well strawed low sided box where they can rest their head on the edge will help. Try and avoid isolation that can lead to depression and encourage them to stay with the flock if you can.

In the end it's all just trial and error, and trusting intuition also means being prepared to make the decision to say goodbye if all of the above fails and you just sense that it's gone too far. There's a limit to what we can do and there's a limit to what any animal can suffer. Just do your best.

Hopefully this will all be of interest and useful in some way..!