First Steps and General Care Tips
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:
Now, here are some general tips that I found very useful in day-to-day care with Pinky:
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.
- Next page: Housing your Blind Hen and her Buddies
- Previous page: Introduction
