Blind chicken

[Davlyn]

Hi every one... I recently discovered 1 of my Amerucana pullets I got the end of May is blind

. I did not know that when I cared for the 12 when I had them inside. Not even after I put them out in their coop. I kept their area fenced off until older & the big birds got used to having them around. several wks ago I noticed that this chick was always running around peeping & it was being picked on more than others. about 3 wks ago she was very close to me she sat on my foot, I picked her up & not a flicker to move or shy away. and she peeped to me the whole time I held her. I say down & put her in my lap and she peeped & then closed her eyes

. I noticed her eyes were totally dark. So I observed her every day for several days. she would bump into the base of her coop, if the ramp was not up she would fall off the stoop. and she would body slam into a group that was feeding like a bully ( and she is not ) She would find me every time I call out to her. so I waved my hand in front of her head, not one flicker or movement of any kind, no reaction. It's clear she is blind. She is doing well in her surroundings & moves about the chicken yard further. Yesterday she came down the hill to come out with the others & will slip thru the poultry fence when it's off as she bumps into it & knows not to back off but just go forward. This makes her even more of a victim to predators , she will never see anything coming.
I am trying to figure out how to make/ keep her inside. I have an issue in close quarters with the dander. My 2cd option is to find her a good home with someone that has had & would like an inside chicken pet.
I am in Pike, NH 2 hrs north of Concord.

Thank you

 

[fleedo]

do you have dogs or cats that would attack chickens (as inside pets) if not you should invest in some chicken nappies and let her live in the house or in just one room. you could use a dog crate to keep her in at night.

you could keep her outside and just improve the run to her needs (eg blockers on the ramp so she can't fall) and you may need to keep her confined so predators don't have a shot at her.

good luck

 

[Doodle777]

How old is she? I have a blind little lady about 3 months old. She is actually the largest out of all of them. She has a friend who had a broken leg and helps her out by calling to her. She was getting bullied so I put the 2 together. The key is not having a huge area and putting the food and water in the same place. They have an outside run and I bring them in at night. I live on the NH / VT border.
Do you have any way of fencing off an area for her and a friend and bringing them in at night ? She will get very lonly by herself.

 

[Brookliner]

Can you post a picture of her?

 

[Davlyn]

Sorry not to get back sooner... Been busy with chicken care, cleaning & maintaning their yard & coops.I will get a picture

. I got her May 23rd there about from our local Agway in Haverhill, NH. she/ her knows my voice and will find

me. she does very well considering, the baby chicks / her coop & area I did have enclosed when the chicks were young & until the adults got used to them. and as long as the ramp is up & food & water is where it was when all fenced in. I do have a small coop , but there is 5 chickens that go in there. I have a very large steel barred dog crate & also a rabbit cage it's long. Thats what I use for when I first get the chicks. I can put my old dog in a smaller crate & use the big one for the chicken & I do have a frizzle that gets molested by the Roos. & she's bald

more than not & would be great to get her away

from the boys. But she's also a bitchy hen that picks on everyone. Bringing the blind pullet in is the safest I think,she won't see a thing coming. My 3 dogs & 2 cats are used to the chickens. I don't think they would bother them if inside... but from the chicken yard & the lawn to the inside of the house is different territory .I was on the chicken chick FB page/ web sight and was starting to look into diapers. nite feeding she wants to sit in my lap to eat or on the small table I have in the chicken yard as long as I have a hand on her for comfort. The other alternative is to find her/ him a home that wants an inside pet chicken.
headed out to get some pic's of my sweety chick

 

[Davlyn]

do you have dogs or cats that would attack chickens (as inside pets) if not you should invest in some chicken nappies and let her live in the house or in just one room. you could use a dog crate to keep her in at night.

you could keep her outside and just improve the run to her needs (eg blockers on the ramp so she can't fall) and you may need to keep her confined so predators don't have a shot at her.

good luck

Great Idea about edge blockers on the ramp..

 

[Davlyn]

How old is she? I have a blind little lady about 3 months old. She is actually the largest out of all of them. She has a friend who had a broken leg and helps her out by calling to her. She was getting bullied so I put the 2 together. The key is not having a huge area and putting the food and water in the same place. They have an outside run and I bring them in at night. I live on the NH / VT border.
Do you have any way of fencing off an area for her and a friend and bringing them in at night ? She will get very lonly by herself.

What I could possibly do is get the young 5 hens & Roo that are in the smallest coop moved over to one of the larger ones ( not always easy unless the coop is shut up , had to do that when I had a major predator attack , 3 hens left in a coop ) I could move my blind chicken in there with 3 Bantams & Put up the portable dog/ pet fence I use & put screening over it ( I already made a few yrs ago, old screen frame with hard ware cloth ) the Bantam hens won't be happy not being able to free range from time to time, also they won't have to worry about Roo's trying to get them.The Roo's are way to big for my tiny girls... Lost my Bantam Roo to a fox 2 days after the slaughter. Dh almost got that one. and a day later it was back inbetween my house & 2 neighbors , but again DH missed . The chicken yard is quite large in-it-self . My DH calls it my " chicken village " I even named all the coops.

lol. Anyway, thats a plan I can work on, but also the bantams 2 of them 1 silkie & 1 frizzle are some of my oldest & are not sweet on the youngsters & the other frizzle is a witch .

 

[Davlyn]

If you look close at her eyes you can see the difference from a normal chicken eye . she is enjoying some cantaloupe insides

 

[Davlyn]

It's been a while since I have been on... The end of August I got / won 6 8 wk old chicks ( about ) I put them in with BChicky & set up a fence. she was so happy. had her boundery, new her space & no one beat on her. The young chick wanted to expand their turf. she was lost, she was chased & hid under the Duck den ( hut ) . I gave her another set up. I was worried about her being a target. so today I set up a place for her in the basement. the stairway has wood walls up & a couple of doors ( storage ) I set a crate in under the stairs blocked an open space on one side. & blocked off the top area . put my portable dog fence around a kiddie pool ( which I bought for the chickens ) she has a ramp. I set up a cordless radio. she's safe & secure, but I think she is still lonely.. so I will look for a combatable friend or put in my very small bantam frizzle

 

[Doodle777]

I'm sure she is lonely. I have a friend for mine
But they are only together at night. Her friend
Pecks at her eyes during the day, if I leave them
Together. They are happy to be together at night
Though. You should make sure that she still gets plenty
Of sun. They need it to be healthy.
When I get home each day, I put my little blind
Lady outside. I bought one of those small dog runs
For her. She seems very happy with it.
It's extra work but so worth it to me. I sometimes
Wonder how she would do with another blind
Chicken.