Caring for a Blind Chicken

Hey everyone! In this article, we’ll learn the basics of caring for a blind chicken such as general wellbeing, housing, and feeding. We will focus on cases where it’s already been determined that your chicken is permanently blind. We will NOT discuss treatment of the condition that caused the blindness, just long-term care and the other stuff we mentioned... If you’re trying to figure out whether your chicken is blind, this article might be useful to you: Blindness in Chickens

Note: In this article, I’ll be referring to your Blind Chicken and “BC”. Please let me know if this tactic works!

I used to have a blind hen named Pinky (see pics). I think her blindness was the result of an undiagnosed neurological disorder. Pinky could sense light, but couldn’t see shapes or colors. She required lots of love and a little work, but she lived a happy life with her best friends, Hermione and Gale.

Disclaimer: much of the content in this article is based on personal experience, rather than scientific information. There may be specialized scientific articles on this topic, but I wasn’t able to locate them easily.

So, let’s dive into caring for your blind chicken!

Table of Contents:

- First Steps and General Care Tips
- Housing your Blind Hen and her Buddies
- Feeding and Watering your Blind Hen
- Conclusion

Above: my late blind hen, Pinky

Did you know, sight is a chicken’s strongest sense? Without it, life may be hard for BC. Fortunately, she has you to help her out, and hopefully this article will be a useful tool in your journey of assisting BC to have a long, happy life!

First, let’s talk about determining if BC is fully or partially blind.

Complete blindness is when BC can’t see anything, except maybe sense light and shadow. My blind hen, Pinky, was completely blind, but could sense a direct light in her face. A completely blind hen will have even more trouble navigating her environment, and she will usually keep her head low and walk slowly. You may also notice cloudiness in the eyes depending on what caused the blindness.

On the other hand, a partially blind chicken may or may not have cloudy eyes. They can usually sense light and shadow, as well as be able to see shapes. Some can see certain colors too, but not details.

A chicken may be partially or completely blind in one eye or both. Knowing your chicken’s level of blindness will help determine the level of care she needs.

General Care/Tips

A blind hen is considered “special needs”. Depending on the condition that caused her blindness, she may need medicine. Either way, these are three important things to understand in order to effectively care for your bird:

• BC is going to need a buddy, another chicken who can keep her company and not bully her. This buddy will live with BC permanently. BC can have more than one buddy as well. Our blind hen, Pinky, had two buddies, who all kept each other company and got along well.
• BC and her buddies will need a medium-sized, hazardless run and coop. The run needs to be easy to navigate. BC should not be allowed to free-range, and might not roost. More on the housing situation later in the article.
• Feeders and waterers should be shallow and noisy, and in a location where BC can find them easily. There should be a wall she can follow or textured mats on the ground to indicate she is near the feeder/waterer.

Now, here are some general tips that I found very useful in day-to-day care with Pinky:

• Don’t startle BC. Talk to her as you approach so she gets used to your voice. You can use your voice as a way to calm BC.
• Even though BC should recognize your voice, be more gentle with her than with able-bodied chickens, as she is more likely to get scared, even traumatized, by “exciting” situations and loud noises.
• Give her lots of special treats, soft things like noodles or oatmeal. Since she can’t participate in “normal” chicken things like free-ranging, treats are a great way to give her a boost of happiness and energy.
• Tap the sides of her food and water bowls so she can learn where they are, and she will also learn that the sound means “food” if you’re trying to give her a treat.

The Coop

As I mentioned, BC’s coop and run should be medium-sized, hazardless, and streamlined. It can’t be too big because she could get lost, and can’t be too small for her buddies to live with her.

The coop should have:

• A flat, soft floor/bedding
• Ground-level laying box
• A low roost in case BC decides she wants to roost, and a higher one for her buddies
• Optional indoor feed and water; that depends on your situation
• And everything that a normal chicken coop needs: doors, windows, a rug, a stove, a toilet, a chandelier, etc.

The chicken-sized door should be ground-level and easy to get in and out of without being a trip hazard. I always recommend automatic doors, but this is optional for your situation.

The Run

BC needs a medium-sized run on flat ground where she can exercise while being safe from predators and from getting lost.

Your run needs:

• To be free of things such as sharp items, trip hazards, and objects that BC could get stuck behind/in
• To be an even shape with walls that she can follow right back to the coop
• Feed and water dishes placed near the coop so she doesn’t have to go far to get them
• Textured flooring or at least different-feeling ground around the food/water containers and around the door to the coop. This helps BC know that she is close to those things and makes navigating easier. Texture can be anything from grass, dirt, straw, or mats that have a different feeling than the rest of the enclosure.
• A water-proof roof so BC doesn’t get wet if she gets stuck outside in the rain
• Everything that a normal chicken run needs (predator-proof fencing, clean environment, picnic table, etc.)

If BC struggles to get inside the coop at night and textured floor outside isn’t helping, consider making a funnel or ramp leading to the hatch. Pinky, my blind hen, was using a slightly-slanted wooden ramp with funnel-like walls that directed her right to the hatch. See pic below!

As I mentioned before, the feeder and waterer should meet the following criteria:

• Close to the coop so BC can find it easily
• Makes noise when used so BC can learn the sound and hear when food/water is nearby
• Wide and shallow-ish for easy access

Note: I suggest using a plastic or metal goat feeder dish similar to this one: Goat Feeder Amazon. The general dimensions of the ones I use are 13” wide and 6.5” deep.

Some other food-related information for BC includes:

• If BC struggles to eat normal feed pellets, she may need smaller pellets or mush. Otherwise, she can probably eat the same stuff your flock eats*
• As is the case with any chicken, BC might require electrolytes in her water in extreme hot or cold weather. This should give her a little energy boost.

*Unless BC has a health issue that requires a special diet



Above: the goat feeders I used for my blind hen

I hope this article was useful to you, and you feel prepared to properly care for your blind chicken!! I'm open to constructive criticism, so feel free to suggest changes in the comments.

In this article, you learned...

• Tips for everyday care
• Different levels of blindness
• Proper housing
• Keeping BC company with a buddy
• Best feeders/waterers to use
• And hopefully some more little stuff!

Have a great day! And feel free to share pictures and stories of your BC in the comments