Blind white EE, questions UPDATE

[NanaKat]

I have had a blind hen before so already knew what might be the problem with Angel.

Angel is my 6 month old all white EE raised from a purchased chick. Two weeks ago I began to notice that one of her eyes was getting a cloudy center. She would get down off the roost and lay her eggs in the hen boxes and would go outside of the coop.
Up until last week, she laid a gorgeous robin's egg blue egg every other day.
I believe she has laid a total of 11 eggs since beginning to lay...completing one cycle.

Then she would only come off the roost when the other hens were outside or in the nest boxes. The other hens actually left her alone and snuggle with her at night on the roost....no pecking order behavior.
I noticed the other day, that she was spending a lot of time on the roost, walking back and forth so I began putting treats on the roost for her in a small rubber dish.

Always stand-offish, Angel would only let me pet her back....until today. Both eyes today are cloudy and she does not react to a finger close to her face. She ate hungrily out of my hand and then allowed me to set her on the floor by the water can to drink her fill. Then I picked her up and set her back on the roost.

Angel is definitely blind and will need vigilent care.

Now my questions:
Is blindness hereditary? If I can get her to lay again, will the blindness gene/allele be passed on to her chicks.

Does anyone have stats on blindness?
Is one breed more prevelent for blindness?

Will Angel need to bred to start another egg cycle? So far the roos only breed when a hen is on the floor. I shielded her from the roos today at the water can because drinking water was more important.

As long as Angel is eatting well and able to drink water and eat her oystershell, and the other birds continue to leave her alone, I will allow her to have her freedom. But I know that I may need to make her her own enclosure like I did for Megan.

Any information you are willing to share will be most appreciated.

 

[gritsar]

I have no advice, but wanted to offer you a

and show my support.
I have a half blind hen. She does fine with the flock and even has her own seeing eye hen, Lilith my lowest ranking flock member.
I wish you all the best.

 

[CMV]

I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to wish you luck. I have a blind pig. He had to be removed from others because he couldn't compete for food which was OK for him, but I think a flock animal like a chicken may pine for company if she was separated from her friends. Maybe build a small coop for her and a quiet friend or 2 to be by themselves? Blind animals don't fare well in a competitive environment, as you know. I hope she's alright. I love my pig. He's so much friendlier and gentler than your typical boar because he can't see.

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you both.
My first blind hen lived three years in a pen in the coop with the other hens. She would cluck and coo along with the flock and was very healthy.

Angel seems to have two hens that buddy up with her on the roost during the day. Then every fid gathers on the roost at night.
I've hung a feeder and water container at each end of the roost and Angel is moving between the two with ease. Her crop looks more filled out too.

Hopefully someone will have answers to my few questions.

 

[kathyinmo]

I believe she has laid a total of 11 eggs since beginning to lay...completing one cycle. Will Angel need to bred to start another egg cycle?

I don't know what you mean about a "cycle." Hens do not need roosters to lay eggs. You only need a rooster if you want eggs to hatch. Am I missing something here?​

 

[NanaKat]

Hens lay in cycles...or groups of eggs. Some hens you can not ever see a break in the cycle until the fall slow-down.
If you want to collect eggs for hatching, you need to know that once bred, the first 10 eggs will have a higher probability of being fertile.
If you run a rooster with your hens...you won't have to worry. But if you keep roosters separate and do selective breeding, this can be an important piece of information.

In Angels case, she has stopped laying eggs. Right now, I am attributing this to her lack of exercise and lack of free-ranging. She stays on the roost. That is why I put the feeder and waterer at opposite ends of the roost, so she will have to go back and forth.

 

[Akane]

Eggs will stay fertile for weeks without fail after hens are seperated from a roo. Plenty of people wanting to switch what roo their hen is bred by have had 100% fertility in a hen weeks after she had been seperated from the roo. Hens will continue to lay eggs on the same schedule with or without a rooster. They never need to be bred to trigger egg laying. A rooster has nothing to do with "egg cycles".

What does control egg laying is sunlight. Changes in daylight hours will increase or decrease egg laying and chickens lay less in winter because of less sunlight. Chickens in areas of the world that don't have really short daylight hours in winter will lay equally year round. If your blind hen stops laying it may mean her eyes are not taking in the sunlight to trigger laying. It sometimes happens with blindness and can actually require medication when it happens in people or companion animals. Day and night cycles actually have a huge impact on all animals including humans in various ways. Most blindness though doesn't stop the eyes and brain from registering sunlight. The other possible cause for her to stop laying is just stress. When they aren't getting enough food and water or are stressed by other things they will stop laying or lay deformed eggs. All you can do is make sure she adjust to her handicap and see if she begins laying again. Letting a rooster mate with her will do nothing for egg production and roosters can actually lessen egg production by stressing hens.

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you Akane
Quote:
That then brings me back to one of my original questins. Is blindness hereditary?
If Angel does begin to lay again and I want to set her eggs, will these offspring be more prone to blindness?

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

was angel an offspring of megan?

I would guess the answer to your question lies in the cause of the blindness itself. What caused it? exposure to chemicals? hereditary weakness. poor diet?

Personally, given her age, and the fact that no one else in you flock is having an issue, I would be inclined to think genetic, and wouldnt breed her.

Good luck!

 

[NanaKat]

No, Angel is an EE that I bought as a chick at Atwoods in late February. The chicks came from Ideal.
Megan was a hen I raised from an egg I hatched in the brooder from eggs received from a neighbor....who never had experienced a blind hen.

I try to run a clean farm....limited safe chemicals in the garden or around the animals. ....although I do use sulphur and Sevin 5% in the dust box for the chickens.

Angel is doing quite well right now with a full crop. She greets me with a little clucking soundswhen I come in the coop now because I've been slipping her some special treats.

And right, if it is a hereditary condition I certainly won't be saving eggs to hatch.
And I will have to find some all white EEs that lay eggs the color of robin's eggs.