Do chickens ever peck at eyes?

[CrosStitching]

Maybe to you its common sense but as a first time chicken owner after having had the 4wk old chicks for all of 7hrs, they had been very sweet and my 4yr old son leaned down to nuzzle it on his cheek and as he pulled back the chick got him in the eye. We went to the ER and that was awful. He has a scratched cornea and we have to put erythromycin ointment in his eye 3xs a day for the next 5 days and try to keep a patch on it. I wish someone had warned me...

 

[epeloquin]

Why would this need to be in a book to warn people, it's a common sense thing, stuff happens! You just know things can happen, come on people! We ALL know chickens peck at EVERYTHING! I had a peck in the eye and I wear glasses but she jumped onto my shoulder when I was bent over and I turned to look at her. I am not blaming the lack of information in a book or anyone, it just happened! No blame anywhere, Jeez!!!

Agreed. When I decided to raise chickens I educated myself and asked questions. When I learn something the hard way my attitde is not "someone should have told me" as though my misfortune is the result of someone else's negligence to inform me. They are birds and birds will always peck at shiny moving things...like eyes. We must be careful.

 

[azygous]

I was one of those new chicken keepers who had to learn the hard way. I should have had a clue when one of my four-week old Brahmas plucked my gold stud earing out of my ear and ate it. It was something I hadn't even considered.

A few weeks later, I was cuddling one of these chicks and she nailed me in the corner of my eye. Painful, serious, expensive injury with permanent damage, but it was something that wasn't yet in my experience with chickens. Sometimes the learning curve can be extremely costly.

When you lack the experience, you don't possess the information to activate common sense. It's like a kitten who has never seen a hot wood stove before, and he jumps up onto it and gets his feet burned. This happened to my nineteen-year old cat on the first day I brought him home from the shelter after adopting him. Of course he never went near the hot stove again. And I haven't had my eye pecked again, either.

 

[CrosStitching]

Of course I'm not blaming any one for my sons injury. Accidents do happen. I have spent the last nine months researching and reading books about chicks while we worked on changing the ordinance for our city and specifically looking for possible "negatives" in owning chickens. The most common thing I saw was "chixken manure contains bacteria, be careful to clean and disinfect well after handling chicks, etc." Even having a separate pair of clothes and shoes for working with the chickens. Also roosters are aggressive. And watch out for spurs because even some hens have them. I just think as chicken owners we should also communicate that chickens go after shiny objects including eyes. I will make sure my kids and my friends kids know to not get near the chicks faces and probably keep goggles or sunglasses handy for when the chicks are out. I just want to see more forwardness about negative behaviors and heath concerns. Again, not blaming anyone.

 

[epeloquin]

Of course I'm not blaming any one for my sons injury. Accidents do happen...I just think as chicken owners we should also communicate that chickens go after shiny objects including eyes. I will make sure my kids and my friends kids know to not get near the chicks faces and probably keep goggles or sunglasses handy for when the chicks are out. I just want to see more forwardness about negative behaviors and heath concerns. Again, not blaming anyone.

CrosStitching, I am very sorry about your son getting pecked. I understand that it is very upsetting and as a Mom you wish it could have been prevented. Do a search in forums on 'peck eye' or 'pecked eye' and you will see many, many threads from people who have had the same unfortunate experience. You keep saying that you're not blaming anyone but, at the same time you say that "we" chicken owners should communicate this danger to others. How? This is something that a lot of people experience and a lot don't. My wife has always owned parakeets or something like that. All birds like shiny, moving objects...like eyes, earrings, wedding bands, jewels etc.
I understand that you went through something very difficult and painful for you child and I am sure everyone feels for you. However, I fail to see how the onus is upon us "as chicken owners we should also communicate that chickens go after shiny objects including eyes". I also cannot see how this is possible. A child should really not be 'nuzzling' a chicken or putting their face so close. We never allow small children to handle our chickens. It is too easy for an accident to happen where the chicken or chick is injured or, in your case, the child. In general, birds do not like to be picked up. We hand raised our hens from day-old chicks. When they are indoors they like to come sit with us...on their terms. But they do not like to be picked up. There are a few people who have hens that tolerate it but in general they don't. If a child thinks it is okay to pick them up you run the risk of harm. I suggest you teach him to leave them on the ground, if they want attention, they will come to you. This keeps everyone involved safe.

 

[missnu01]

Hmmm... never crossed my mind that the chickens would peck out my eyes, but I also don't get in the chickens faces, and none of them would fly up on me...they will mill about my feet when they think I have food, but I don't really want chickens in my face. But I will warn my kids because I see my daughter snuggling her face on the chicks sometimes. It hadn't crossed my mind that the same chicks that will dive after my jewelry would also be interested in my shiny eyes.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Crows, black vultures, seagulls, and chickens all have relative weak bills or beaks and all of these birds will scavenge carrion every chance they get.

When any of the above bird species finds a dead animal with a tough hide, the eyes are the easiest and the most logical place for a bird to begin feeding, followed by the soft and easy to rip and tear genitalia.

Besides that, a chicken may peck at your eyes simply to establish its place in the pecking order over that strange new bird that you chicken thinks that it sees, represented by its own reflection in your or in your children's eyes.

One reason that so many report that a hawk first ate you chickens' head, was that the hawk started by eating the featherless eye balls and face parts on an already dead chicken and went on eating from there like eating corn on the cob..

 

[momdeb]

I agree. I am definitely not blaming as I see that you are not blaming.

Solutions.

Lessons Learned.

Best Practices.

Common sense is relative.

I've also learned over the years that chickens have all sorts of personalities.

After our hens passed away(I'll tell you how as it's another thing not to blame but telling how common sense is relative), I looked up different chicken breeds and read about natures. I was looking for least aggressive breeds for the most part and found them!!

Farm animals - chickens - are becoming pets for many people today. There are plenty of books and articles discussing domestic animal personalities/care/breeders, vaccine schedules...wonderful guides. We teach our children to always ask the animal's owner if it's ok to pet the animal...as well as let animal sniff hands before going into the pet's space (without pet knowing you and visa versa).

Knowing the nature of your pet is vital(for happiness & health!( to both creatures(man and animal).

I see a need for such books/magazine articles for Guidance to newbie chicken adopters.
Specifically noting cautions with especially, young children and eyes. Diseases. Buy chickens that have mareks vaccine. Don't add new chickens (chicks) to coop without fully inspecting/giving chicken a check up.
Tell Tale Signs for worms - eggs that have droppings? Is that true?
How often to give hens wormer. How long before can eat eggs again.

How to keep coops clean and dry -- Best Practices. I would love to hear from experienced owners and how they keep their chicken coops dry and clean.
I learned that I don't like the coops with the nest boxes that open up. People who watched our chickens had children that we learned were afraid of them. When they opened the nest boxes, they slammed the door down on my chicken's heads & their necks broke(hurts to write that : (

Veterinarians are also beginning to see chickens. I don't have farm animal doctors available so I found a vet that grew up on a farm. I was lucky. The other vet in my area is an exotics vet who deals with mainly exotic avians(parrots, etc).

Chickens have become pets.

 

[VJ Montana]

Yes they do!!!! I just found this out just now...both my kids r sitting on the couch with red peck marks on their eyelids.... we just started feeding the chickens real worms and they now go after our dogs noses and now my kids eyes....ughhh