Chicken randomly blind in one eye or marek’s?

[coffeeaddict]

I noticed this young hen (8 months old) had a cloudy pupil when you shine a light toward her. She originally hatched from a shipped egg. I’m not sure if she was hatched this way or if it is some kind of sickness? That pupil does not dilate. Her other eye appears to be normal. Am I dealing with Marek’s here? In the first picture her eye looks normal without light. You can only see the “cloudy white” under a light. Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[azygous]

Emphatically, no, you are not dealing with ocular Marek's. It looks nothing like this. Many things can be behind blindness in chickens. Since you noticed this early on with this chicken, it's very likely a genetic flaw or an injury that occurred during hatching. Or it was caused by a peck to the eye by another chick, which is quite common. Or an unnoticed eye infection may have caused it.

Chickens can function without both eyes, but it will be handicapped in finding and competing for food since that is the role of the right eye in poultry. You can help by always locating the food and water in exactly the same place, and by leveling the playing field when treats are distributed by serving this chicken in a protected area.

I had a hen that developed blindness in her right eye, and she couldn't always get enough to eat when I dished out the food twice a day. So I fed her in the "jail" section of the run so she could eat at her own pace and not be needing to fight off the other chickens who were trying to take her share.

This little chicken will, however, be pretty much okay free ranging since she will be able to see in the distance for danger approaching as that is the role of the left eye.

 

[coffeeaddict]

Emphatically, no, you are not dealing with ocular Marek's. It looks nothing like this. Many things can be behind blindness in chickens. Since you noticed this early on with this chicken, it's very likely a genetic flaw or an injury that occurred during hatching. Or it was caused by a peck to the eye by another chick, which is quite common. Or an unnoticed eye infection may have caused it.

Chickens can function without both eyes, but it will be handicapped in finding and competing for food since that is the role of the right eye in poultry. You can help by always locating the food and water in exactly the same place, and by leveling the playing field when treats are distributed by serving this chicken in a protected area.

I had a hen that developed blindness in her right eye, and she couldn't always get enough to eat when I dished out the food twice a day. So I fed her in the "jail" section of the run so she could eat at her own pace and not be needing to fight off the other chickens who were trying to take her share.

This little chicken will, however, be pretty much okay free ranging since she will be able to see in the distance for danger approaching as that is the role of the left eye.

This is encouraging. Thank you. I feel so bad for her. She is the sweetest chicken and was hatched with a defect where her hips are crooked so she limps slightly, but I do not believe she’s in pain and she is able to even lay eggs.... and now to realize she is blind in one eye. I will definitely give her special treatment to make sure she gets her treats and food.

 

[azygous]

You are comparing this disabled hen to the other able bodied hens. Therefore, to you, she appears to have limitations. But I assure you, she does not look at it that way at all. To her, she is a normal hen leading a normal, happy chicken life, adapting to survive as all of us living creatures must do.

Since you mention that she has another physical anomaly, the blind eye is likely associated with it. Luckily, these things won't prevent her living a good chicken life with your kindness and attention.