Newly hatched chick. NO EYES! **UPDATE 1-31-12** SHE LAYED!!!!!!!!

[gale65]

poor little guy.

It looks like he's sitting on newspaper? I read that they shouldn't be on newspaper because it's slippery.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Cute little thing. Best of luck, and what a surprise!

 

[Rainstorm]

Quote:
Yes they are on newspaper, Cant see it but I have shreded paper in there also for grip so they dont get spraddle leg

 

[earnhardtlvr]

R u gonna name him/her? He is adorable! I hope he makes it!

 

[nuttyredhead]

Quote:
X 2

 

[NewToFarming]

Don’t give up on this little one!!! I have a blind silkie girl that is about 8 months old. I got her at about 8 weeks old and her previous owner did not even know she was blind because she manged quite well. It wasn’t until the change to my house she became to be weak and lethargic until I figured out she was blind and was having trouble finding food and water. I did keep her inside until about 4 months old and then decided to put her in the coop with the last group of chicks. She is doing quite well!!! You might even find she will have some “helpers” too. My youngest group of chicks that were raised with her actually help to guide her to places.
You might find her holding her head in odd positions but it is a way for her to get her bearings on where she is at and who is around. (She can tell if it is another chicken and if she likes them or doesn’t like them) LOL
I always talk to her before picking her up so she knows it is me and doesn’t get scared. You might want to come up with like a call too. I just say her name in a certain tone and she knows I am coming to get her or to find me. Also, I position her in front of the food twice a day to ensure she is getting food & water and I do feel her crop to determine how she is doing when I am not there. I actually have several stations set up but always start her at the same one everyday and always have the food to her right and the water to her left. I also place the waterer down after placing her there and she has learned the sound of it filling the base and this way she knows it is there.
She does get stressed with change but does end up adapting pretty quickly. I recently built an outdoor playpen for her and the other silkie girls and at first she was a bit stressed because she could hear the roos but soon learned they can’t come and mess with her and now she loves her outdoor pen! I just make sure to keep an extra close eye on her with change and she also learned to follow the sounds of the other chickens.

 

[Nicole01]

Awww, what a beautie. Good luck raising this chick with special needs. I hope he/she makes it through.

 

[Henicillin]

I'm a sucker for a hard-luck case and for special-needs waifs. I've had a one-eyed cat, another who had been dumped by his "owners" (and I use the term loosely) in our yard because he had been hit by a car and lost use of a foreleg, cats and dogs nobody else wanted - I'm a soft touch. If the little blind one seems otherwise healthy, I'd be inclined to give him/her a shot. Having been born like this, the little thing won't KNOW it's missing a sense, and may well adapt quite nicely.

Of course, I'm a hobbyist and not a farmer/professional, so I have to add the disclaimer that I know I can afford to be sentimental like this.

 

[chinadollgreen]

We have a hen that is in a separate coop because she only has one eye and like a rooster, she has a large comb and crows but we have gotten eggs from her. My horse is blind on one side and we ride her and treat her no difference between her and our other horse. I admire people that love an animal no matter what the flaws.

 

[heatherindeskies]

good luck with the chick, whatever you decide to do! Do you have a plan in place for when you are at work?