blind left eye

[erinm]

Hi can anyone tell me what would cause a chickens eye to go grey and the chicken blind. She is okay in every way just the eye... I use drops on her to control the inflammation and ward off infection. Thanks

 

[bethandjoeync]

we have a girl that is blind in one eye and particially blind in the other. we gave her a separate area in the coop all to herself, and once she learned where the water and food and perch was, she was fine, and happy. I don't know what caused it, but I think in our case it was progressive. she is almost a year old now, and has been this way for a few months now. I hope you find and answer to you question

 

[CallyB57]

I don't know what caused that, but I have a little rooster named Phoenix MashLazarus that is blind in one eye and probably partially blind in the other. He bumps into things and is startled easily, but I have noticed that he compensates very well with his hearing. When I throw scratch grains on the ground, he walks on them, then sits down and brushes the sides of his face on the ground, then begins to peck if he feels grains with his face. If I am in the pen, he knows the sound of my flip-flops and runs to me so I will pick him up. I have even seen him fly up on the top of a nesting box that is about 3' off the ground, so I'm pretty sure he is not TOTALLY blind. But then I have seen him run into other chickens and other objects...he starts to peck the feeder up high and once he is sure it's the feeder, he pecks slowly down the feeder until he is pecking in the feed. Same thing with water dispenser. Also, he always made funny wheezing noises when breathing and sometimes looked like he was panting or struggling to breathe. The other day I picked him up and was looking at his comb because a couple of other roosters had picked on him and there were minor cuts on it, but while I was holding him I was amazed to see that his nostrils were almost completely closed off, like his beak has developed a curtain over the hole - there is only the tiniest little slit in one nostril that he can get air through. I don't have a clue how this little rooster will end up - I saved his life and nursed him until he could function alone, but he sleeps laying flat down on the henhouse floor with his neck and head stretched out - and he snores. He's the weirdest little bird. Anyway, good luck with your bird...was just wanting you to know that a blind bird can adapt to surroundings - at first you might want to cry at the way your bird struggles to find everything and the obvious fear it is feeling at being blind and being able to hear other birds all around him, but if you show him a few times every day where things are, he will eventually get used to everything and come 'round. One day I was in the pen and a couple of other roosters were picking at Phoenix MashLazarus and he couldn't see them, so he just kept jumping straight up and down like some kind of bobbing toy and pecking at the air - at nothing. I ran over and picked him up and his little heart was beating so fast and I knew he was so afraid. I cried

, but there is nothing to be done, and I think he will be okay on his own as time passes.

 

[janetk]

it sounds like a catarac. do chickens get those? i don't know-anybody know?

 

[erinm]

thanks everyone. Yeah the eye just went bad over the course of about 3 weeks. i guess I will just keep an eye on things.

 

[erinm]

huh get it? EYE on things. I just noticed that is what I wrote.... What a ding dong....

 

[magistradomina]

I hate to say this, but you might be better off culling her if you don't want to seperate her from the other chickens.

I hope that you can get more information about this! I know that if my chicken went blind, I would be upset!

P.S. I get it! "I will keep an EYE on things!" HA!

 

[erinm]

Oh she doesn't need culling. She does fine on her own. The others don't bug her at all anything above the ordinary so all is okay there...

 

[BetsyOK]

Yes, chickens do get cataracts. I fear I discovered them in several of my chickens just last week. I researched it on the "net" where I found pictures of cataracts in chickens and dogs and learned that there are several possible causes: Marek's; another disease of the respiratory system (I can't remember right off hand); a high concentration of ammonia (I think for a fairly long time); vitamin A or E deficiency, which can be passed through the egg from a vitamin deficient hen; and continuous light. The disease-caused cataracts seem to have quite a different appearance from those we're familiar with.

I know the breeder well, and believe the ONLY thing on this list that could logically be a cause is "continuous" light. I know many of us use incondescent light bulbs as heat sources in our brooders, and some incubators also use them. Because I'd read that sleep deprivation might be a cause of scoliosis/wry tail, I changed all my white incondescent bulbs out to the black heat lights used for reptiles a year or so ago. I've checked at least 30 of my flock that I've raised and found no cataracts in any. Just on the possibility that light is a cause in either one or both of these conditions, I plan to continue use of the reptile lights.

There are a couple of medications for dogs that are said to cure cataracts, but they are somewhat expensive and require putting drops in the eyes twice a day for as long as a year. I assume a smaller dosage could be helpful to chickens.

Mine that have them don't appear to be too affected by them yet--they are only partial. However, they seem to be a bit more timid than the others. I rather think that as long as their housing is not too spacious and objects are kept in the same places they should be able to do well even if completely blind. Time will tell.

I'd be very interested in any information and findings on this subject.

 

[bethandjoeync]

Quote:
my girl Sally is very similar to this.

once you get the bird used to its surroundings, it will learn where everything is and how to get to it. Their hearing will seem to be a lot better. we keep a glass dish for her feed, so she can hear when we pour some in, and she goes right to it. We considered culling our girl Sally, but just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. she is my favorite, and always wants to be held. I think in my case, we are going to put her in with the Bantams. there area is way smaller and nothing for her to bump into really, other than the wall. and hopefully the bantams won't pick on her as much as the standard meanies that I have now. I would just suggest keeping an "eye" on everyone else, and make sure they aren't picking her. for some reason my meanies wanted to go for her eyes, and I don't think that helped things. good luck with your special girl, you'll figure out what is best for you and her.