Chicken with burns

[peacefulagain]

I am a wildlife rehabilitator and a chicken lover. I have 29 beautiful girls and 1 lucky rooster. So when my organization got a call about an injured chicken they called me in. (We don't usually handle anything that isn't wildlife, but I wasn't about to let any animal suffer.)

This poor guy is in bad shape and I need some advice. Someone either dumped boiling water on his head or took a blow torch to him. His whole head was burnt. I have been treating him with burn cream and antibiotics and he is healing up pretty well. My only issue is that he is most likely going to be blind. Has anyone had a chicken that was blind? And, did they do ok?

Thanks for any suggestions that you can give!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

That sounds horrible. I have read about totally blind chickens that functioned okay, but if I recall correctly, it was sometimes with the help of other flock members. I had a chicken blind in one eye who did really well. The difficulty with this chicken will be integrating him into any flock, but maybe if he is with a bunch of sweet hens he would do fine - it is hard to say.

 

[klmclain1]

OMG... that's HORRIBLE! I get so angry when I hear of animals being treated this way.

I appreciate what you are doing! I don't have a clue about how he's going to get along if he's blind, but it sounds like you have the perfect group of girls (and boy) that may be able to take him in. Best wishes and may God bless you for all you're doing!

 

[crawfordrose]

Poor birdie! So glad you are treating him!

I have a rooster that has been blind in both eyes for over a year now. He has at least one companion hen at all times, sometimes two or three. I give him feed on a flat plastic lid, so he can hear the other hens pecking. Now he can find it all by himself every time I pour feed on it He sleeps on the ground now, so make sure this guy has a cozy spot for the night like a nesting box. You may need to help him find the water dish a few times, but as long as everything is kept in the same place he'll adjust fine. Definitely give him a mellow companion bird or two! Best of luck!