Blind keet?

[Krisrunsafowl]

Hello all fellow fowl lovers!

We have just started a new population of guinea in our new home! One female laid a nest and we monitored it until one night we saw a fox run thru the yard and the next morning the nest had been destroyed. 4 eggs survived (and thankfully the mama too). I put the four in our incubator and one appeared to be infertile. Of the three left all hatched but I believe one to be blind. Especially having read about "Helen" the chicken. I would really appreciate any information on how to help and what may be the cause. I have not named the sweetling yet until it survives a bit longer. I have witnessed it pecking the ground but not drinking. Please help me to learn! Thank you in advance for any answers or thoughts in general!!!

Kris!

 

[PeepsCA]

Hi Kris,
Congrats on saving a few eggs, and your Hen. Predators are ruthless.
There's not much you can do if indeed the keet is blind... it may have been hatched out that way from a genetic defect while it developed, or possibly due to the incubator conditions... but regardless, it is what it is, a blind keet that will be a special needs bird the rest of it's life, if it survives.

I'd be sure to pick it up and dip it's beak in the waterer on and off thru the day as often as possible so it's staying hydrated. You will see it tip it's head up and swallow a few times when it gets a drink (poultry vitamins added to the water might be a good idea, just in case the blindness is from a nutritional deficiency... which is not all that likely, but still worth a try). It may bond with it's brooder-mates and learn to follow them by sound to the food and the water, but... I would not get your hopes up too much

It's going to need a lot of help from you/your family for quite a while.

If it does survive and mature it will not be able to free range unless it's under supervision, and it may eventually be picked on by the other birds in the flock. If you have some more docile poultry like Silkies or something similar it may be perfectly content being included in a mellow, less active flock later on once it's old enough.

Best of luck with the little guy.