Chick born blind

[MotherHen785102]

Hey everyone!

I hatched out my first incubator babies. They are 4 days old today. Yesterday I realized that one is blind, at least partially. I believe it might be able to see shadows maybe, but not sure.

It seems like an otherwise healthy bird, just can’t see. It has managed to learn where the food and water is in the brooder, so it is eating and drinking (a bit) but is still a bit smaller than the other 4 (except one that is a banty).

I have high hopes that this chickie will survive, I am supplementing egg yolk to its medicated crumble and probiotic/electrolyte water (there is plain water available as well).

I do not want to separate it from the others as I have had past experiences with sick chicks and they just seem to get depressed and lonely which makes everything worse.

I guess my questions are:

1) What do you guys recommend food wise to keep him healthy and maybe get him up to weight? He isn’t very skinny yet, but definitely looks a few days behind the others.

2) What on earth will I do with it when it grows up? (Fingers crossed it isn’t a Roo). My current flock free ranges in the evening, but will this one just be an easy target for prey? I can’t afford to build it it’s own coop, and even if I could, she would be lonely.

Do you think I should bite the bullet and cull? I’ve never had to cull a baby and I really don’t want to, but I also don’t want this baby to struggle its whole life.

Do I wait and see if it can make it? The poor thing seems lonely all the time in the brooder, not able to scratch around with the rest or cuddle them

Please give me your expert opinions and maybe some past experiences

 

[Debbie292d]

I would do what you're doing right now and see how they do with each other growing up together. It should get more attuned to sound and know where its siblings are.

I wouldn't feed that one any differently. They might take to mash now, where you add water to the crumbles so it is the consistency of cooked thick oatmeal. If it's having difficulty seeing, it would be able to just stand there gorging itself if it was hungry. I would also give them some vitamin water as it could be it was vitamin deficient. We use either Nutradrench or Poultry Cell.

Later on, I know those with blind or partially blind chickens raise them fine but never let them free-range. It'll always need to be contained so it doesn't wander off and have a smaller run so it can find its food/water easier.

This could be a very rewarding experience. It will take a little more effort for this one.

 

[MotherHen785102]

Thank you, I picked up some nutri-drench this morning. He/she seems to do fine finding the food and water. Hoping the extra vitamins help it to stay healthy.

I guess we are going to take it one day at a time. I was looking at small coops last night, hubby might be irritated that I buy a whole coop for one or two birds but he can’t do anything if it’s already set up in the backyard one day after work right?

 

[MotherHen785102]

Just figured I would give an update..

We are over two weeks in and the little guy/gal is doing fine. He seems to be keeping up with the others in size now and moves around the brooder with much more confidence.

We are still unsure about how his/her life will play out, but at this point we are planning on not treating him/her much different than the rest unless we have to. Our food and waterer never move locations in the run so she should eventually be able to make her way around when she moves into the big girl coop.