Clops: The Blind Cleft Lid Chick (Updates, Advice, and Discussion Thread)

[FortCluck]

**Update**

Clops has cleft eyelids and is blind in one eye. She is thriving so far. She's eating, drinking, pooping, and doing everything all her siblings are doing.

* This thread has been changed into an advice, discussion, and update thread.

Thank you everyone for everything you have to offer on this thread even if it's wishing us luck with her!

We appreciate all of you

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Can someone tell me what's wrong with this chick... I know it's blind in 1 eye, but why are it's eyelids like this?

It's not from my flocks eggs, but I'd like to know it's survival chances. I feel sad for it, I know that sounds ridiculous

Blind eye

Other eye

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Would expect survival for a while but likely with increasing effort on your part as time goes on.
Is it worth it?

 

[FortCluck]

Would expect survival for a while but likely with increasing effort on your part as time goes on.
Is it worth it?

Not sure. I don't know how it'll grow or what care it'll need so to me it's worth letting it live till at least 12 weeks. Then I'll decide what we will do.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The poor thing!

I have no idea what causes that, I'm sure someone might know. I wonder if @Pyxis might know?

Is that the only chick that hatched? Is it able to eat/drink on it's own?
I would feel sad for it as well, I'm not past that, but for me I would cull. Now. That said, you want to give it a chance so I would start getting some poultry vitamins into her right away.
Poultry Nutri-Drench 2-3 drops twice a day or Poultry Cell (same dosage). Encourage her to eat/drink. Wet feed is sometimes easier to manage.

I've not dealt with a chick that can't see well, but some folks have - the main thing I noted from them they kept food and water in the exact same place all the time - chicks can learn quickly. If there's other chicks it can follow around without it getting picked on that would be a help as well since they seem to mimic one another.

 

[glassdragonfly]

I'm with you on giving her a little while. Chickens adapt to about anything. I have a roo with bad eyesight,took some extra time with him and he gets along fine. Yup food and water in the same place,same bowl all the time or he can't find it. But he free ranges with the girls and tidbits for them. Let us know how she does. She is a cutie!

 

[FortCluck]

The poor thing!

I have no idea what causes that, I'm sure someone might know. I wonder if @Pyxis might know?

Is that the only chick that hatched? Is it able to eat/drink on it's own?
I would feel sad for it as well, I'm not past that, but for me I would cull. Now. That said, you want to give it a chance so I would start getting some poultry vitamins into her right away.
Poultry Nutri-Drench 2-3 drops twice a day or Poultry Cell (same dosage). Encourage her to eat/drink. Wet feed is sometimes easier to manage.

I've not dealt with a chick that can't see well, but some folks have - the main thing I noted from them they kept food and water in the exact same place all the time - chicks can learn quickly. If there's other chicks it can follow around without it getting picked on that would be a help as well since they seem to mimic one another.

I'm not sure if it can eat and drink on its own yet because it just hatched and it really hasn't started walking around completely yet. I did dip its beak in the water though and it drank.

I have hatched several eggs from this breeder and I have never had an issue with their eggs so I'm not sure if it's anything to do with their breeding stock because I have not seen anything like this from them yet.

This is actually the first chick out of 100 that I've hatched that has been deformed.

 

[FortCluck]

I'm with you on giving her a little while. Chickens adapt to about anything. I have a roo with bad eyesight,took some extra time with him and he gets along fine. Yup food and water in the same place,same bowl all the time or he can't find it. But he free ranges with the girls and tidbits for them. Let us know how she does. She is a cutie!

I love it's colors! It's hanging underneath the heat lamp right now passed out. It's eyes fully close so I'm thinking at least that's something positive. It panicked when I picked it up because it's blind eye was toward me, once I turned it, it calmed down when it could see me.

 

[FortCluck]

The poor thing!

I have no idea what causes that, I'm sure someone might know. I wonder if @Pyxis might know?

Is that the only chick that hatched? Is it able to eat/drink on it's own?
I would feel sad for it as well, I'm not past that, but for me I would cull. Now. That said, you want to give it a chance so I would start getting some poultry vitamins into her right away.
Poultry Nutri-Drench 2-3 drops twice a day or Poultry Cell (same dosage). Encourage her to eat/drink. Wet feed is sometimes easier to manage.

I've not dealt with a chick that can't see well, but some folks have - the main thing I noted from them they kept food and water in the exact same place all the time - chicks can learn quickly. If there's other chicks it can follow around without it getting picked on that would be a help as well since they seem to mimic one another.

And I only answered half your questions... Sorry

I actually have 3 others from the same breeder. None have this problem. They're all snuggling together right now. It moved/walked on its own to the food so that's another good sign.

 

[twendt]

It almost appears as if the flesh around the eye was torn during hatching? Maybe it was fused to the membrane ?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not sure if it can eat and drink on its own yet because it just hatched and it really hasn't started walking around completely yet. I did dip its beak in the water though and it drank.

I have hatched several eggs from this breeder and I have never had an issue with their eggs so I'm not sure if it's anything to do with their breeding stock because I have not seen anything like this from them yet.

This is actually the first chick out of 100 that I've hatched that has been deformed.

Sounds like it's doing o.k.! A lot of birds can adapt, if she can see really well from the other eye then that would be good.

It almost appears as if the flesh around the eye was torn during hatching? Maybe it was fused to the membrane ?

Both eyes?