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

[pennie1]

The little blind white Silkie that I hatched about 6 wks. ago is doing great also... He (I think) manages to find his way around quite well. He can even find his way outside to the big pen without help. He has 1 friend that stays pretty close, but even the chicks that are a month older don't bother him and let him cuddle up to them... He loves to get picked up and cuddled up under my neck. He just sits there and coos.

 

[chickchicks]

what a loving story andan amazing little one so cute and adorable i love him loads

 

[Pharm Girl]

I just love how confident he looks in all his pictures. He's not letting a little thing like anophthalmia get in his way..

(only did this smiley because it has no eyes either!)

 

[Chick1043]

Poor chicken!

Does he run into walls or anything?

 

[stargirl]

Aw man, I love him so much! And I love you for sharing this with us! What I really really REALLY need now is another video of him eating/drinking, and maybe one of him on his babysitting duty?

 

[Rainstorm]

Quote:
He doesnt run into walls but when I open the rabbit hutch door and he hears me talking, he has walked off the edge of the door quite a few times trying to come to me

 

[monkeemakr]

Quote:
x2 Lots of wisdom here.

 

[QuinnP]

Arlo my joy had twisted legs & he could not walk, he also had an enlarged heart that took his little life at 14 months old. Your wee love might have an unknown defect. I am still shattered at losing my baby roo

 

[NewToFarming]

OMG! He or she has turned out to be absolutely gorgeous!!!

I am so glad he has adapted so well! I let my blind girl stay with the babies until she was about 5 months old and then put her with everyone else and she is doing great. She still loves the babies and lets them snuggle up with her still. She is the most gentlest, sweetest chicken I have! My favorite thing she does is when she jumps, she spins in a circle to, so I call them her ninja jumps and she tends to do these when she is happy like when I first put her in the outside pen in the morning.
I am so glad everything worked out for you!

 

[MixedBlessings]

Huh, there was a new mutation discovered that causes severe microphthalmia (tiny eye) in chickens back in 1992: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1578107 -- I'd be interested to know if this little one and the other cross with no eyes turn out to be pullets, it looks like this particular gene is expressed mostly in females.