my birds can't see in front of them or to the sides there is so much fluff. It wasn't apparent how bad it was until they all got startled and ran in all different directions...All bumping into something...so I took a closet look and their eyes were completely obscuredI just cut a straight line from their top eye lid out, parallel to the ground and then again from the lower eye lid parallel to the ground until there are no longer any feathers left for that whole .5centimeter all the way out. I basically excavate a little peep hole through the wall of feathers.
I've got accommodating Silkies - each one picks the fluff from around each other's eyes and make their own peep holes LOL! Also mine forage so much free-range that the crests matte down a bit. If it gets really gunked then I'll wash with a warm washcloth and work the gunk out with my fingers gently. My little gals are so hardy they really are not any more trouble than the LF. My Ameraucana gets more gunk in her beard than my Silkies get in their crests.
