Help!!! Chick with no eyes???

[NewToFarming]

I love the name "Chance"!!!! Great idea!!!

I forgot to add that yes there might be more work at first as was with my "Honey" but it was worth it. She is the sweetest most gentlest chicken I have and she loves to snuggle on my shoulder. I think now with her being out and about with the others, she will continue to adapt even better. She just needed the little extra to get a good start. She will always need to have an extra eye on her but that is nothing like we went through in the beginning and she has proved to be well worth it.

 

[jen5680]

This poor little thing was born with no eyes. It didn't live but a few days

 

[speckledhen]

Some things for your consideration from someone with experience with decisions like this:

The ones who are horrified that you'd euthanize a chick because of such a defect are not going to have the responsibility for that chick and have no right to push someone to keep an animal like that, no right to guilt someone else into doing what you think is right in this type situation.

I have a crippled rooster, Zane. He's been unable to use one leg since he was six months old--he is now 3 years old, lives in his own cage, has to be taken out on sunny days, but can't be left completely alone because he would be hawk bait. We worked for months to kick out an infection in his injured hock joint, and finally did, but he has no use of the leg, which is in a permanent bent position and the toes do not flex. He thumps around on his good leg, using his wings like crutches.

Would I try so hard to fix another one like Zane? No. We tried so long to help him and get his leg functional again that it was impossible to put him down. He showed that he was interested in life still because he can see, he can hear, he can alarm for the girls, and he crows when he feels good, so we decided to care for him till he didn't want to live or till he became ill. It takes thought and consideration every single day to remember to do things for him that he cannot do for himself, like pick up grit for him when he can't get outside on the ground, to trim his toenails since he can't wear them down, to keep the spurs short so he doesn't gouge himself, to dust him with DE because he cannot dustbathe, to bring his girlfriend, Gypsy, to see him so he feels like he's still alive, etc, etc. I adore him and he's super affectionate, but he deserves a more full life.

Blindness would have made my decision so ever much easier. I have euthanized a blind chick. I now have a sight-impaired hen, but she can see. Her depth perception is way off and she can't aim to pick up anything very well. BUT, she can see. If she had been blind, I would have euthanized her, no question. The question of quality of life is what the OP needs to answer, if it's even possible to know if it has any.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

I agree with both sides and I think the only question is "how much work are you willing to put into 1 chick(en)?"

For the ones that say CULL - I agree, culling is disposing of defective birds so they don't pass defects onto their young, and culling is for eliminating suffering. This chick certainly does not appear to be suffering!

For the ones that say KEEP - I agree, it can live a full and complete chicken life IF the OP is willing to put the extra time and effort into making sure it is eating, drinking and not getting tortured by the other birds.

 

[speckledhen]

I think the only question is "how much work are you willing to put into 1 chick(en)?

Exactly. And what about the next one? And the next one? These things happen from time to time and how many do you have time for? If you hatch on occasion, you will have other defective chicks. This will not be an isolated incident because that's just the nature of raising chickens. Your decision is your decision and no one should make it for you, but you will be faced with other dilemmas in the future of this sort.​

 

[lone oak]

if you are serious about keeping the chick alive and hopeing for it to be as normal as it can then provide a sound cue that does not move around. i personaly would not cull imediately, but i wouldnt try to make it live either, show it, teach it and let nature take its course and put it to sleep at first sign it is in pain. i have a blind child so for me it would be hard to say i killed a animal for being just blind but expect my child to live a normal life, however i do understand humans and animals are different. if you provide a sound cue it will learn where what is in relation to that sound, like a radio or ticking clock, anything that has a constant sound to it, then the chick will know oh the sound is over there so the food is over here. i know for my child i can move most anything and he relearns very fast that i have moved something but if i move the tv or clock he is all turned around for days, it is like the sound cue is deeply imprinted and he reacts to the sound without thinking.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Well said and you seemed to have touched upon some point's I didn't have the patients to convey, but in the end I agree that the important thing is folks really think long hard and deep for the right choice.

AL

 

[plecostrum]

I spent weeks trying to correct my chicks splay leg to find the hip caused the legto bend out She hopped on one leg used the knee as her standing balance and wing as a crutch. She has had a good life for 20 wks although she never grew much.
She got herself water and food and slept with everyone else !

I did the best I could for her and she was pretty mobile although she was a cripple lolol we named her wonky!!

But she died this week I think being smaller and weaker that snap of night frost finished her off.

I think as my birds are pets I would do anything if they are able to feed and water themselves they deserve a home. But if your a breeder or meat grower then she would be useless to you and culling the best option.

My other rejects are frizzles 2 hens bald from shoulders up and they have feathers like spears sharp and snap they were unwanted due to there look but I took them in and they are very good chick companions they won't win no shows unless you got worst bird!! But they are friendly and funny ! Just look like in constant moult. Im testing out all types of tonics in a hope this will help lolol

Nature also has a good way of deciding for us!

We had a one eyed hen a leghorn she did fine and was just as hard to catch !

I can't imagine a complete blind chick being able to do the basics without human help.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

When there are defects like this there is also a chance other organs didn't develop right. I read up on blind chickens and many people lose theirs early on due to other defects they didn't know about.

Also for me now it is not 'how much time I'm willing to put into ONE chicken' (this was the case in the beginning, hand/syringe feeding her, teahcing her where food/water was. But now its quality of life) Little Bink has all my time she needs. But I cannot make her see her friends, tell her what that loud noise was, make her see food/treats, tell her she's supposed to roost with her friends everynight, let her go outside and forage like the other chickens, etc, etc!! There's just SO much she's missing out on, and I dont feel she has a Happy Chicken life like hte rest of my birds!

Her friends roost everynight(only for the last week or 2), but she cant get up there or stay up there(its only 1' high). There is also roosts that are almost on the ground, and a few inches high for her. I'm not going to make the other 4 go agenst instinct and sleep on the ground with her.. and she obviously doesn't get how to roost.

I'm not telling you to cull. I'm just giving you my experience to make your own decision with. If I were placed in this situation again I would cull (a suggestion I would have been offended by 2 months ago.)

Good Luck with whatever you choose.