I have a 4 year old serama rooster who is blind. He has his eyes, but from what we can tell, if he has any vision at all it’s messed up. I do know he can see light as he navigates towards it. If you put a red plastic cap on the ground in front of him, he will almost always try to peck at it but will miss it by a mile. ‘When you put him on the floor he will walk in a few circles first. I heard this is something blind chickens will do.
Getting him to eat was the most difficult thing in the beginning when he was a chick. I fed him via needle-less syringe for months, and sadly he didn’t get enough food for his first few months, (poor kid looked horrible he was so thin) but later I was able to feed him from a dish of food, which he still eats from today. He gets his fill. I still have to hand feed him, which I do about 3 to 6 times a day- it’s quick and I kind of enjoy the break as he enjoys getting food. Even now he will miss the bowl sometimes, but he knows I am able to direct him and he gets back on track. We have our routines and this seems to work very well for him, certain placements, taps on the side, verbal signals... We didn’t have this in the beginning and it took about a full difficult year to finally start reaching a level of ease. I felt like Ann Sullivan, having to come up with cues and commands which he could learn and interpret...and it worked!
You have to repeat these cues every time and just be patient. When he was a chick, he’d peck the air- up down, all sides, seeking food. He had no clue where food came from, just that he was hungry. Sometimes he would choke as he tried to breathe when he would stuff his whole beak into the mush food (chicken feed mixed in water) He holds his breath to eat and mouth breathes. When he is done eating, his crop is usually full and will stop trying to eat and won’t respond to prompts and cues.
I have him in the house. He would not last outside very long. He gets diapered every day and walks around the living room. (It’s very clean, so is he- only 2 accidents ever which were easy to clean. Only other mess he creates are feathers here and there) He’s very content, peaceful, calm, even loving. I give him occasional baths (which he loves, most times) and in the evenings he goes into his cage (plastic clear storage box with modified lid for air flow) for safety. Now that we have the routine worked out, he’s very easy and fun to take care of. His funny and unusual antics entertain us. We’re also lucky that he doesn’t crow so much, and if he does, it’s not loud.
other than him I now have a 6 or 7 year old hen who is blind in one eye. She lost her vision via injury earlier this year. She’s getting along well now and has learned to use her one good eye.
This is a recent photo of “Chibby”, my blind serama roo. He’s just chillin‘ in his “cage”.
