Polish can't see!!!

[abcatgirl]

I have a Buff Laced Polish named Stay-Puft who is struggling... a lot. She is 18 weeks old and still hasn't moved into the coop with our four 20-week chicks because she is constantly being picked on. We also have another coop with year old chickens in it, and they pick on her too. She cannot see because of all her head feathers and bumps into things all the time, and of course freaks out every time it happens. She even has trouble finding her 13-week mixed breed friend, who pretty much keeps her alive. She is my profile picture and I've posted her picture here just in case you wanted to see how bad it is. This is my only Polish, so I'm not an expert on them. I know that I should trim the feathers around her eyes, but I don't know how or what equipment I need! Please help!!

As you can see, her eyes are not very visible.

 

[abcatgirl]

She looks hilarious with a ponytail!

 

[junebuggena]

I might actually consider getting a Polish, just to see it running around with a ponytail! LOL

 

[-Clementine-]

This is my polish with the same problem. I like the idea of the ponytail but would like the keep his/her look. If I was to trim some feathers around the eye how close to the skin should I go? A friend of mine said he heard that some people pluck the feathers around the eyes. Anyone else hear this? If Yes, how would you go about doing so? Tweezers?

Thanks for your knowledge...

I had a silkie with the same problem. trim their feathers, do not pull them out. Get a small pair of scissors, think very small, and trim any feathers hanging directly above their eyes. Then you will want to cut away any feathers around the beak area so there is a clear line from the eye going down to the beak so they can see forward

 

[TheLittleGarden]

Oh my gosh. Just popped on to make this exact post. I have a buff polish too who uses our blue cochin as a "seeing eye chicken." If Lillac leaves Pippin anywhere in the yard, Pippin just starts crying until Lillac eventually runs back to her. Most of the time, Pippin has her head tucked into Lillac's bum feathers and just follows behind her that way. We have another Polish, Amelia, who is easy to surprise, but doesn't have this level of difficulty and is really independent. Pippin does have an extremely large crest though. I would be interested to see how things are going for you with the pony tail!

 

[mypurtychickens]

i have 6 polish, i have had the same problem, it does make them a lot easier to catch though lol! i feel so bad when they bump into things.

 

[abcatgirl]

BTW I took the ponytail out when she went in at night and floofed her feathers back to normal, just so they wouldn't warp or anything

 

[-Clementine-]

I had a silkie with the same problem. trim their feathers, do not pull them out. Get a small pair of scissors, think very small, and trim any feathers hanging directly above their eyes. Then you will want to cut away any feathers around the beak area so there is a clear line from the eye going down to the beak so they can see forward

Cut around the red area kinda like this so they can see off to the side and forward
(photo off of google)

 

[Mykatalak]

I’m so glad I stumbled over this, I have polish chicks and I just realized how skittish they are... I thought these birds are little chicken “ sheets” lol... but tomorrow they are getting pony tails...

 

[BantamFan4Life]

It is normal for Polish to not see very well, because their crest feathers are in the way. This seems a bit on the extreme side though. I would recommend getting scissors and cutting the top portions of her feathers. Or, as I've seen people do, put on pony tail on the crest so it will pull the feathers back. Check to see if that helps. If she seems to be running into things when her feathers aren't in the way, I would recommend looking at her eyes to make sure she is not blind.