One eyed rooster

[Carolrich]

Thank you for your words of wisdom. We are no longer allowing Stanley on our shoulders.
We have 6 four-month old chickens. We have two 2 1/2 year old hens. We began with 8 but lost 1 to sour crop, 1 for unknown reasons, 2 to raccoons the night my husband forgot to close the hatch, and 2 while they were free ranging during the day to hawks. This is one reason we got Stanley. . .to be on the lookout for hawks. Oh the irony of this!
Our set up is large and the run and coop are like Fort Knox.
We have a hatch from the run leading into roughly 800 square feet of fenced outdoor area with trees and bushes, stumps, covered hidey holes. I think your suggestion of scattering feeders and water throughout is good and I will do this. Stanley will be 16 weeks next week. He is getting bigger, seems to be adjusting to the one eye and is less fearful each time I put him together with the girls. Any helpful information will be gratefully received.

 

[Carolrich]

I would break this habit pronto....he could put your eye out doing that!
He really shouldn't be allowed to jump onto your body without being invited first(if at all).
Best for cockerels to keep their feet on the ground and out of your way.
Granted his sight issue makes that harder to do, but still. start 'weaning' him.

Thank you for alerting me to this issue. We are no longer allowing him to jump on our shoulders.

 

[aart]

This is one reason we got Stanley. . .to be on the lookout for hawks. Oh the irony of this!

Indeed!

Hmmm...can't remember exactly but something about one eye in the chicken is for distance and one is for close up?
Thinks it was @azygous who was talking about it, maybe she can provide insight(haha) and a link that explains which is which?

 

[azygous]

The left eye on chickens is for distance. A rooster blind in that eye won't be of any use as a sentry for the hens. He won't be able to spot danger from sky or or land. Having his right eye will at least enable him to find food.

This "rooster" is anything but. His hormones probably haven't even started to surge. That's when a cockerel becomes unpredictable. I advise hands off until they reach one year, then you will know what kind of temperament you're dealing with.

 

[Carolrich]

Oh my! At this point, I am not sure what I should do. We wanted a rooster to look out for sky predators. This obviously is not going to happen now. While my young flock is still 16 weeks old, should I find another cockerel? If so, how old? With a functional rooster, what will be the probable scenario with Stanley if he is allowed to remain with the flock?

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, you should find another rooster. I would contact your local,poultry club, or feed store to find people who have chickens. However, I would not get him until your hens are laying. And I would be looking for a rooster about a year old. They really do not do flock management until that age, give or take.

Do understand, that might mean you need to cull the current bird. Roosters do not often understand sharing.

 

[aart]

The left eye on chickens is for distance.

Ah, that's what I thought I remembered...
..but meanwhile I've found this saying they have close and distance in both eyes:
" Chickens have 2 foveas (fovei?), and they act a little differently. One is for distant vision, and one is for in close….think of built-in bifocals. "
https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/chicken-vision/

 

[azygous]

I happen to have implanted lenses in both eyes following cataract removal. One enables me to see distance and the other up close. Together, my vision sort of evens out and I'm usually unaware the eyes are seeing differently.

I imagine it's somewhat similar for my chickens, although their eyes are much more limited since their eyes, unlike mine, have very little ability to move in their sockets.

Here's a short but good article. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/information-on-chicken-eyesight.67301/ When your chicken is staring at you straight on, there's no doubt in my mind they are seeing you quite well using both eyes.

 

[azygous]

Oh my! At this point, I am not sure what I should do. We wanted a rooster to look out for sky predators. This obviously is not going to happen now. While my young flock is still 16 weeks old, should I find another cockerel? If so, how old? With a functional rooster, what will be the probable scenario with Stanley if he is allowed to remain with the flock?

I don't envy you your decision on Stanley. (My first rooster was a Stanley). It depends on how attached your are to this little boy and what your flock management needs demand.

Be aware, as @Mrs. K says, two unrelated rooster are less likely to get along, but you don't really know until you try putting them together. It depends a lot on individual temperament. I've had two cockerels brooded together grow into their hormones and thereafter, not a day went by where they didn't try to kill each other. Right now my two roosters are father and son, and they have a very well worked out relationship where pop is dominant, but each has carved away half the hens to watch over when free-ranging.

Having enough hens for two roosters is crucial, though. My two boys function so well together, not just because they're related, but they each have ten hens to care for. Any less than that, I'm sure there would be a lot more conflict.

 

[Carolrich]

Ah, that's what I thought I remembered...
..but meanwhile I've found this saying they have close and distance in both eyes:
" Chickens have 2 foveas (fovei?), and they act a little differently. One is for distant vision, and one is for in close….think of built-in bifocals. "
https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/chicken-vision/

I read the article and am thinking it MAY be possible that Stanley will develop distance sight because he has the physical equipment (fovea) to do this. But he would have to have both types of fovae in each eye, wouldn't he?