Is this chicken blind or is something else going on?

[SelfSufficientMe]

Do you have a picture of her eyes up close? She’s not an Araucana they’re rumpless and have tufts. She might be an Ameraucana. I had a blind black Ameraucana and her pupils were oddly shaped. She spun in circles a lot. Hopefully someone else has a better idea

Thank you. I can get a picture of her eyes tomorrow. She does spin in circles. I thought she was clumsily chasing a bug but she was just spinning in circles. And twice she was far off in the yard at dusk nowhere near the coop and run. She doesn’t blink but I’m going to try the finger in front of her eye thing someone mentioned tomorrow.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

I don't think it's her eyes, or at least she isn't completely blind, otherwise she would've run right into the fence. She also seemed to look at the birds on the other side. I'd check her noise response as well, it could be her hearing.

Thank you. She definitely is not as vocal as everyone else. I’ll try to get a better video when she’s really acting off and test out her hearing. She doesn’t seem to know I’m reaching in to grab her until I touch her and she freaks out.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If she is blind you will need to keep things very stable for her-feed and waterers in the same place always. No big changes in the coop or run. It’s not easy but mine lived for several years. She even survived (barely) a raccoon attack.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

I’m not convinced this chicken is blind. The puffed up feathers point more toward an illness but definitely check her eyes as described above

Thank you.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

If she is blind you will need to keep things very stable for her-feed and waterers in the same place always. No big changes in the coop or run. It’s not easy but mine lived for several years. She even survived (barely) a raccoon attack.

Thank you. I do plan to eliminate their run and coop once they’ve decided they want to join the older flock. In my experience the pullets will eventually follow the hens into the big coop. I really hope she catches on. Worse case, I’ll keep two coops and hopefully a few will stay with her.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

It really is confusing and it irks me that hatcheries take advantage of it although I can understand that Araucanas are hard to breed so it makes sense a hatchery wouldn’t want to lose money trying to breed them even to make Ameraucanas. Some of them are honest about it (Murray McMurray) but you have to look for the information.

These chicks came from Cackle Hatchery if that helps.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

Pick her up and gently move your finger back and forth in front of their eyelid. If she closes it, she is not blind. If she doesn’t flinch, move it faster and dramatically. If she still doesn’t flinch, that’s a good sign that she is blind. And blindness is not bad, either. Chickens have great senses and can hear you quite easily. It might take her longer to get used to a newer coop, but otherwise as long as she is part of a flock they will warn her about anything she cannot hear.

Thank you. I will try tomorrow and see what happens and update.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

Sort of true. Ameraucana is a recognized breed by the APA. Americana is not and is a tricky name for Easter Eggers. Araucanas are very easy to recognize once you see one and don’t look like either Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers. They have tufts instead of muffs (looks more like a handlebar mustache than a poof of feathers) and they are rumpless so they don’t have tails. But it is a pet peeve of mine being sold one in place of the other. I used to know a breeder so I had beautiful Ameraucanas and was baffled to find most people thought that’s what they were getting when they bought EEs. At least the last time I bought “Americanas” I knew what I was getting lol

She came from Cackle Hatchery.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

A x2 for the Ameraucauna, sometimes spelled Americana. It's a name/difference in spelling given by breeders to certain types of Easter Eggers to make people think of the coveted purebred Araucana.

ETA: Read the next post! I was half wrong.

Thank you. I have had Americaunas before years ago. I may not have any araucanas in this batch then. They came from Cackle Hatchery.