My blind chick, with Pics.

[jenlhake]

Hi, I was happy to hear about your Helen. I have a 16 week old Rhode Island Red that is also blind and named Helen. I wrote about her a few times on the forum a few months back. My Helen is completely blind, but has managed to find her way around very well. We build a 4x8 coop and then a 10x8 aviary attached. Part of the aviary has a covered roof and deck and then part is dirt run all of which are full screened top and bottom included. This elaborate coop was not our intial plan, but we felt Helen could not safely free range and wanted her to have a great space to live. She loves it. We also have built several perches throughout a few inches off the ground, which she loves. Good luck with your Helen. Mine does great with the other chickens, but she really cannot see at all and it sounds like yours maybe can, but be really careful with her even in your yard. It did take my Helen much longer to develop, but she now finally looks like a lovely chicken. I did have to help her groom out her old feathers especially around her head for awhile. Good luck!

 

[keystonepaul]

Nice stories! Thanks for sharing them!!! Keystonepaul

 

[claraserena]

I hope I can revive this thread. I just found out one of my 1 1/2 week old Milles Fleurs bantam chicks is blind. She is with a two broodies who are co-parenting (one is a MF bantam and one a full-sized buff orph) and 5 siblings. All are in a brooder pen. Somehow the blind one has gotten food and water though she/he is smaller than the other bantams.
I am thinking about how to handle things eventually as far as merging her with the flock. All our chickens--bantams and standard are free-range all day--we have one bantam rooster whose "girl" is a lame standard hen. So making a pen for bantams could be a problem there. I could make a pen for her right by the coop but would she be happy alone at night in her own enclosure? How is this working for those of you have accomodated a blind chicken. I want to help her.

 

[Chicabee19]

I wonder if she holds her tail down to keep her balance?

 

[claraserena]

I just checked and no she does not seem to be keeping her tail down. She is going by sound I'm sure. She gets herself under a very shallow ramp to their "coop" so I'm going to fix that so she can't get under. Waterers are in the same place all the time so I guess she must have that figured out. I ws going to move the brooder to closer by the main coop but not now as I'm sure the change would be hard on her. I am thinking about keeping the bantam chicks (3 including her) separate from the others once the broodies lose interest (that usually happens at about 4-7weeks so far). I'd appreciate any advice!

 

[lemurchaser]

What I'm finding is the chicks raised with her have accepted Helen, the blind one. And chicks younger than her, love her (because she is quiet, calm and doesn't peck at them). Right now I have 4 adult chickens, and a group of youngsters (2 BLRW's and Helen (7wks), a welsummer (5wks), and 3 silkies (4wks)). I do let them out to free range when I'm around, but Helen and the silkies don't usually go out (their choice). If she is left alone in the run, then she does loud slow peeps, calling her friends. She does seem to be getting used to it, and will settle down and wait for their return. I'm thinking I'll make a permanent group of Helen and the silkies, and then try to integrate the other 3 with the adults, or I'll keep the youngsters as a group (because they all accept Helen). I may just decrease their free range time (so Helen isn't alone for as long), or keep one friend penned with her each day. I also don't really plan to free range the silkies, so she can hang out with them. She is really attached to the non-silkies though. I'm in the planning stages of a second run (the first one was too small anyway), and I'll probably save the older/smaller one for her and her friend(s).

I have discovered that she can see a little bit, and it seems to be improving ever so slightly. She can follow the red feeder, she targets my orange shoes (bee-lines straight into them), and she can follow me (if I go slow and she stays close). She is the absolute sweetest chicken ever. I do try to let her figure out things on her own and sort out her own problems. One of the times she came out, one of the older chickens pecked her and sent her running. She stood and peeped for awhile because she was lost, but she eventually found the run and got back inside. It is tempting to help her, but I want her to be able to live an independent life. I certainly wouldn't let her get into danger though. She does NOT fly and I'm not sure if she'll perch (I can't blame her). I move her stuff around all the time, and she figures it out, sometimes I'll show her once, especially if it is something weird (like the first time I hung the feeder instead of having it on the floor- she kept running under it). She has learned to eat treats (in a bowl) and knows to come running when she hears the other chicks get excited. She always taps the side of the waterer, and then takes a drink (chicken version of feeling her way around).

So, all in all, with a few accommodations I think she'll live a normal life. My only concern is that her friends may turn on her as they get older, but we'll deal with that when/if it happens.

Here is a video of her as a week old. She is eating raw yolk mixed with chick starter. You'll notice that she needed my hand to be able to stay pointing in the right direction. I also love her progressively closer pecking, to figure out where stuff is (she still does that).
http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk94/lemurchase/?action=view&current=a8e2c25a.flv

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk94/lemurchase/?action=view&current=6da2fba7.flv

 

[claraserena]

Lemurchaser I really appreciate your response.
I am considering re-arranging chicks once the broodies want to join the flock. I just bought a new chicken hutch (pen is on back order)--I thought I could keep the three bantam chicks in there and keep that hutch/pen inside of our main pen and by the coop.
My chick is totaly blind. She is small and just stands there with the others running about. I did just see her with both feet in the waterer. I brought her in to give her some yolk and starter food--she eats a little--she must be getting something. I don't see much going between her and the others. She just stands when they are all doing their thing.
I start back to work (teacher) in 2 weeks so won't be here during the day to check. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Since "Helen" is taken (I love the name!)I named the chick Tiresias, after the blind seer in Oedipus--I'll call her Reese which will work if she turns out to be a he.

 

[lemurchaser]

claraserena,

It sounds like you are getting everything sorted out for your little one. Just a couple things to consider. From doing research on other people's blind chicks, it sounds like a lot of them die of other unknown problems at young ages (I figure that something else didn't form correctly). So, you might wait a little while to see if little Reese (love the name) is getting stronger. Helen seemed completely blind at that age, but has improved or at least compensated better as she gets older.

By 3 weeks, Helen was pretty self-sufficient. It was only the first 10 days to 2 weeks that she needed some extra care. She did need to be checked at night that she made it to bed for a few weeks (they were in a small run and had a dog crate with a heat lamp in it). So maybe yours will be okay when you go back to work.

 

[lemurchaser]

Little update on Helen for anyone who is following her story. After a few experiments of giving her freedom, I have realized that won't be possible. I let the young ones out to free range while I moved the chicken tractor they were in. Helen decided to wander, but got in the way of the the older chickens. They must have chased her, and she ran and got her head stuck between a grape vine and a fence post. She then just screamed while they pecked her back. I quickly came to her rescue, freed her, but she was very upset.

Then today, my dogs almost killed her when she got stuck between two fences. They were chewing at her through the fence, to the point that the one dog bloodied her own nose. The dogs only go after the chickens if the chickens act injured or flail around (or act like prey), but that is too much risk for me. So Helen will have a pen with some friends, and probably no more free ranging again.

I also called the veterinary opthamologist and asked if they would see a chicken. They said they would, but the exam fee is $65. I'm considering it, I'd like to know what is wrong with her.

 

[goatkeepers]

Oh gosh, you must be the best chicken mom out there!!

How sweet of you to consider that. It would be interesting to know if it can be fixed. Lasik on a chicken!

Now THAT would make the news. Can you imagine? Please keep us updated, I love hearing about Helen. Some updated pics of her would be great, as well!