blind as a bat

[susannemw]

Hi there - I have a BCM pullet - about 12 weeks old that I believe is blind. She randomly pecks around for food, and has success finding it if you keep it in the same place, so shes doing OK. She will come toward my voice, and is very sweet - but if you touch her without speaking she is startled. We are getting ready to introduce her and 7 others (who are a few weeks younger than her) into a coop with 8 adult birds before winter -anyone think she will make it with the big girls?

 

[WhiteCochinLover]

I dont now it depends on how the big girls are .. are they agressive

 

[hokankai]

Ooh, that worries me. If I were you I would house the chicks separately if you can. Once you introduce the new chicks those hens are going to be really hard on them, pecking them and chasing them. The blind one isn't going to have a chance, and being in a new place she's going to be stressed and very very confused along with being pecked incessantly by an assailant she can't see or escape.

Introductions can be brutal with normal, healthy chicks. I would advise not to put the blind girl in a situation like that.

 

[susannemw]

Quote:
They are 25-26 weeks, and very docile with kids and adults, but the 1 barnvelder we have tried to introduce to the flock has been pecked quite a bit. We have separated them in the coop for now, thinking it was better to wait and put all the new ones in at once so theres no lone new target. How much violence is normal? Should we just leave them and let them work it out? Its hard to listen to without wanting to help the one being picked on.

 

[r devries]

put them on a roost in the middle of the night and check up on them in the morning i find they will go for food when the others roost. after a week they get used to eachother.

 

[artsyrobin]

if you have the room, pair her up with a docile hen, and give them their own area, possibly section it off, i have two nearly blind silkie roos i had to do that with, i always talk to them before touching so they know who is there and food and water needs to be in the same place- hope that helps, the other possibility would be a house chicken?