Deformed, blind, mentally challenged chicken...

[romdeussen]

So, I bought a batch of Maran chickens hatchlings. Three turned out to be roosters (two have the weirdest combs ever), and then....we may have a fourth but....we're not sure.

It's name is "Derp" We don't know if it's a rooster--has the rooster tail but never crows.

At first, we just thought Derp was simply different. S/he walks straight UP--as in, weight mostly in the tips of the toes, stretched all the way up, then head tilted to one side ever so slightly. Then, randomly, Derp now yells, takes off running (or flying), or, which is my favorite, runs in circles for no reason. Then, s/he runs into the coop and lays down--but she can't "lay" down--she stands under the ramp, so she has to crouch, rocks back onto her "elbows," then puts her head down, butt in the air.

Derp, sadly in an evolutionary joke, is an excellent flyer. Too bad Derp is also BLIND--s/he can somewhat sense shadows--if I lean over her, she'll move and look up, but the pupils never constrict or dilate and the eyes never move.

Now, as Derp has grown a comb, it falls over one of her/his eyes, making the "walking on toes/stretched way up/randomly screaming/running in circles/flies into the gate or other chickens/blind so runs into anything you have moved" chicken occasionally freak out if the light hits it the wrong way b/c it looks like a shadow.

Derp also follows you around if you walk in to the coop, and is rather friendly--but then, suddenly, yells and runs spastic-style off, knock "elbows" flying, until she makes it to under her ramp or another chicken is in the way.

I'm...not sure what to do with Derp. The other chickens take care of him/her--make sure s/he gets food, makes way at the water (Derp drinks by dunking his/her whole head INTO the water, then makes this happy gargle sound), and at night, sometimes I find one down with Derp sleeping by the ramp. But what does one do with a disabled chicken? S/he seems happy, isn't in pain, but I"m not sure if anyone has had experience with disabled chickens--do problems get worse as they age? They were hatched in very early March. We debated eating her but she's so slender it'd be a waste since she's not thin as in "starved" but thin as in "built weird and no extra meat."

Suggestions?

 

[Stiggy]

It really depends on how disabled they are and with what disablement. There are differing opinions on wether or not they are worth keeping or if they will have a good life. Personally I have 2 special chickens, Bree is blind in one eye after it exploded, she is happy and healthy and runs a muck with all of her sisters. And Darla who is blind in one eye and has a crooked beak and some form of brain damage, she acts like a slightly demented chicken and has a strange love and obsession for tomartos. My feeling is that as long as they arnt in pain and completely blind then I like to give them a chance. Often they have shorter lives than average but that doesn't mean that they cant have a good life. I never keep any completely blind chickens tho as it isn't fair to them, and it leaves them prone to injury, bullying and predators.

Its good that your other chickens look after her/him

 

[romdeussen]

That's the thing--she's blind with maybe shadow sight. However, she isn't picked on, and when they were growing up, she was the bully--or so we thought. Now, looking back, her shoving around the other chicks was probably...well...because she's blind. I think they remember that so they just watch out for her, no one picks on her, and she just bops along (and into things) happily. I'll see if i can get a video tonight.

 

[dazookeyper]

I'd keep him/her around. Sounds like he is a fairly happy bird and not really in pain or missarable. Besides he is good intertainment. sorry.

 

[romdeussen]

This is Derp in a rare moment of standing straight.