Partially blind chicken

[ambe0487]

I have an 11 week old chicken that either has bad vision or something else going on with her. She is a silkie cross that has always had a very large crest. About 3 weeks ago I noticed she was struggling on her vision so I trimmed it back but it only seems to partially help. I've slowly cut more and more back to help her see and get around but I'm wondering if there may be something else wrong.

She seems to just stand there until she is tired and then sits down and falls asleep in the same spot. She will peck around until she finds her food and water but doesn't seem o have any depth perception.

How do I check her vision to see if there is something going on further?

Here she is this weekend before I did my last trim on her feathers.

 

[PeepersMama]

Trim all the feathers out of her eyes. If she should be able to see, butstill acts weird, then there's something going on.

It is possible that she just has bad eyes. Can you see any gray spots in her eyes? She might have cataracts.

Does she have any feathers in her eyes? She certainly has a big poof on her head! If she has a lot of feathers in her eyes, it could be causing problems. I know that my EE's sometimes get muff feathers in their eyes, but I've never had a crested bird before...

Rinse her eyes out with saline or a contacts solution. If her vision doesn't improve, maybe take her to a vet (if you have one)?

I noticed that she has some really wet feathers in the first pic - is that water from drinking, or are her eyes runny?

 

[chippy99th]

Yeah, I'd trim all the feathers back and do the other things Peepersmama suggested. If her eyes have a milky sort of reflection in them, it's cataracts. Where do you keep her? I have a hen who is completely blind from cataracts in one eye and starting to go blind in the other, and when it started she became really hesitant to move around, because she'd bump into things, etc. So I moved her to a small rectangular coop (it's turned into my geriatric & hospital ward, lol) and she became much braver! She was being pecked at, losing weight & feathers but since the move all her feathers have come back, she's much happier and she's even started laying eggs again. You just have to keep the food and water in the same places (I use bright containers too) and make sure the other chickens with her are all friendly to her.

My boss had a blind chicken once and didn't have a smaller pen, so she set up cables radiating outward across the run from the food and water containers, like sun rays. The chicken was smart enough to figure out that when it followed the cables, it found food and water. Chickens are smarter than people give them credit for.

On the other hand, it's not necessarily her vision. If you trim the feathers back, make sure her eyes are not infected and don't see cataracts, she could be sick with something else. Whatever's going on, I hope you figure it out!

 

[ambe0487]

Trim all the feathers out of her eyes. If she should be able to see, butstill acts weird, then there's something going on.

It is possible that she just has bad eyes. Can you see any gray spots in her eyes? She might have cataracts. 

Does she have any feathers in her eyes? She certainly has a big poof on her head! If she has a lot of feathers in her eyes, it could be causing problems. I know that my EE's sometimes get muff feathers in their eyes, but I've never had a crested bird before...

Rinse her eyes out with saline or a contacts solution. If her vision doesn't improve, maybe take her to a vet (if you have one)? 

I noticed that she has some really wet feathers in the first pic - is that water from drinking, or are her eyes runny?

I trimmed around her eyes both top and bottom and she seemed to notice herself for the first time in the mirror but still seems to peck the air/ground for her food and water randomly. I will look tomorrow morning for any grey spots in her eyes. I clipped her feathers back again just last week but they seem to just keep growing down and into her face constantly.

The photo with the moisture is just from her drinking before I trimmed her face again yesterday. I even tried to clip it back but with in 5 minutes she had knocked it back out.

I have had to cut the feathers from my EE's beards as well! Like this little gal at a day old.

 

[chippy99th]

Oh my gosh, that picture of her with the hair clip is just too funny! Maybe a hair tie (one of those tiny elastic ones?) would stay in better?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is adorable

I hope she will be able to see better and improve.

You may want to add some poultry vitamins to her water and give her some wet feed as well. It may be that she's had that poof blocking her vision and is adjusting, but pecking at the air/ground randomly could possibly be due to vitamin deficiency and/or some type of neurological/developmental disorder as well.

Keep us posted.

 

[ambe0487]

Yeah, I'd trim all the feathers back and do the other things Peepersmama suggested. If her eyes have a milky sort of reflection in them, it's cataracts. Where do you keep her? I have a hen who is completely blind from cataracts in one eye and starting to go blind in the other, and when it started she became really hesitant to move around, because she'd bump into things, etc. So I moved her to a small rectangular coop (it's turned into my geriatric & hospital ward, lol) and she became much braver! She was being pecked at, losing weight & feathers but since the move all her feathers have come back, she's much happier and she's even started laying eggs again. You just have to keep the food and water in the same places (I use bright containers too) and make sure the other chickens with her are all friendly to her.

My boss had a blind chicken once and didn't have a smaller pen, so she set up cables radiating outward across the run from the food and water containers, like sun rays. The chicken was smart enough to figure out that when it followed the cables, it found food and water. Chickens are smarter than people give them credit for. 

On the other hand, it's not necessarily her vision. If you trim the feathers back, make sure her eyes are not infected and don't see cataracts, she could be sick with something else. Whatever's going on, I hope you figure it out!

Wow, great information. I will definitely take a look today to see on her eyes. Until this last week she had been in an indoor out dooor brooder pen with 5 other hatchlings. She was doing okay unless I wold move the food and water and then I had an incident where I could tell she hadn't eaten or drank in a while and realized it was becauseI had moved the food. She spent 3-4 days in the house then and seemed better after a fluff cut. Then last week she was put out into the large coop and run with the other 14 chickens and her hatchmates. That is when I really noticed she was struggling. I have one hen who is really mean and pecked quite a few feathers out of her back (that hen is now in a new home) and would chase her into things. I'd check on her multiple times a day only to find her hiding from the mean hen. I moved her in the house 2 days ago until I could find a place for the mean hen to go.

She seems to be better today after I trimmed back even more feathers. I saw her walk a bit around the kitchen floor and even got up to roost on the bar that goes in between the chair legs. I'm going to give her another once over today and if she seems to be doing okay I am going to try to put her back out.

I've been giving her poly vi sol at least once every week to help with the possibility of a vitamin deficiency.

 

[ambe0487]

Look at what just happened...

This was before her trim today.

Once I put this up and then trimmed under her eyes she made this sound that was so scared yet sweet. Looks like both her eyes are clear and I will just need to pull everything back and she should be fine!

 

[PeepersMama]

Cool! Glad you figured it out

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Look at what just happened...



This was before her trim today.


Once I put this up and then trimmed under her eyes she made this sound that was so scared yet sweet. Looks like both her eyes are clear and I will just need to pull everything back and she should be fine!

I'm glad you have found her eyes!

Those pics are priceless - adorable, yet...

Hopefully you will see a big improvement.