Could she be?

[Denali (Auntie's Shadow)]

We (My aunt and I) currently have a blue-black silkie pullet in a box under a light in our house. Onyx (AKA Chicken Pot Pie), is deathly thin and terribly frail. Our cockerel, Kree, has been bulling her around and she is separated from him now. She is much happier away from him but isn't eating. She clearly has no meat on her bones and seems not to be able to eat. We think she sees shadows because we have food all around her and she can't seem to find it, though she goes through the normal motions of eating constantly. one of our older hens recently hatched two chicks and they are keeping her company and helping her eat. We fear she may be blind. She has an "afro" of feathers, which we trimmed experimentally. She can now see through her "poof", but doesn't really see at all, like she is blind.Could she be? Help!

 

[nnbreeder]

She could be but if she has a bad vit. defeciency it could also be temporary. here is a recipe that you could mix up and feed her to see if that helps.

Feed the birds three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 x egg yolk….. give the whites to the other hens mixed into their seed or pellets (depends a lot on the size of the egg yolk)
1 teaspoon honey…. .given for energy
2 x tablespoons yoghurt…. Given for calcium and also to make the bowel go back into normal production after this upset
¼ teaspoon calcium powder (if you can’t get the yoghurt)
3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed
Sprinkle of multi vitamin powder (only if you are not already giving it to them in their drinking water, don’t overdose)

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny, if you have to roll into pellets and force feed, and then massage the neck to get it down, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat…. Don’t hold back…. The longer it goes without this the worse it will get

 

[CMV]

You need to observe her for a while. Only by direct observation can you determine if she's blind/visually impaired. I have a blind boar, so I will share with you some of the things that clued me in. Does she tend to be sedentary (stay in one place), slow moving? Does she flinch violently if you wave something harmless directly in her face? If you put her in an unfamiliar environment does she just sit in one spot? Does she place her feet very carefully when walking or walk into things?

It took me about a week to establish that my boar was nearly blind. His previous owner was unaware that he was blind. It does not hinder his ability to do anything. Set your hen's environment up, and do not change it. If she figures out where her food is going to be, she will expect it there, and she will search for it there. Changes in the physical environment are really hard on animals that can't see. I have found with my boar that he is much more docile and approachable than most boars probably because of his impairment. I do not make radical changes to his pen, so he is just fine. If I move anything then it takes him a week to find it.

She may also need to be housed separately on a permanent basis, away from roos. If she's being chased around she may be very stressed. It would be like running around in the dark with some beast that keeps trying to jump on you. She's probably terrified, poor thing. My boar cannot compete with healthy animals, so he is housed separately. Find whatever works for you and her.

Good luck.

 

[Denali (Auntie's Shadow)]

Thank you both for the information, although I'd like to see what else other people say.

We are mixing, your recipe right now, nnbreeder, and are eager to see how it works. Thanks much!

CMV: We have been observing her before we got your post, and she is very like your boar (poor guy). She is very sedentary and slow-moving, but she's always very calm and doesn't flinch. She does sit in one spot in an unfamiliar place and always places her feet carefully, though she's moving faster now that she knows there's food on the ground (we spread it out for her). Now that we know that she may be blind, the only problem is she's really frail and skinny... Any help for that, besides nnbreeder's recipe?