Partially blind...

[firedove]

Not sure what to do exactly. I discovered that one of my 11 week olds is partially blind. Her name is Moon Tides, so coincidentally I've always called her Moon, without it having anything to do with her moon eyes. I never noticed her sight problem until I had her out today and saw she has cataracts in both eyes. She gets to the food and water OK and adjusted to the new coop just fine. She has always been a bit of a loner when it comes to the other chicks and one of the friendliest chicks when it comes to us. She does have trouble finding her way back up into the coop though. My chickens have to jump up in, it's about a 12" jump but I put a log in front to make a 6" step for the little ones now that they are out there. I think Moon just can't judge the distance well enough to get in. She does wait patiently by the door for me to come and lift her in so she knows where to go when it's getting dark or wet. I really like Moon so do I keep her and just take special care, or what? (Of course there is a chance that Moon is a he, not a she, in which case I probably won't keep him) Also, should I be concerned about a health problem? She was vaccinated for Mereks so I know that isn't the problem.

 

[love4mychick]

i think that you should keep her.. and take special care the only big problem is that you might half to take her to the vet to get a speciale cream to but on her eye to keep it from getting worse or inffected

 

[firedove]

I have terramycin ophthalmic ointment to put in her eyes which is the same stuff the vet would give for her, that being if we even had a chicken vet around. I don't think her eyes are injured though, the cataracts appear to be inside, not a surface aberration. Looking at pics of the chicks when they were younger I can see small white spots in one silver penciled chick's eyes right from the start so that must be her. With so many chicks I just never noticed since she was not one that needed a ton of special attention for socialization, she was always friendly.

I do think I would like to keep her, but are there any concerns that I should have other than getting her into the coop?

 

[Schultz]

We have a chicken that was blinded in one eye by a coon. She has adjusted well but has issues with judging distance and usually prefers not to perch. We have a ramp that goes into the coop so that part is covered. Our girl is a big sweety, she follows DH around like a puppy and when she loses sight of him or me she comes franticly flying toward us. Keep her as long as she is not suffering, chicken pets are a lot of fun! We don't have a "livestock" vet here so I take her to our avain vet that we use for our parrots and she has been very helpful. Good luck with your girl, I hope she has a long and happy life!

 

[firedove]

Thanks Schultz. We have large animal vets and small animal vets here but nobody really covers chickens. My large animal vet does the horse but not chickens. The small animal vet will do exotic birds but not chickens. It's not a big deal. We can deal with most problems with the chickens on our own.

Moon likes to follow me around too. Whenever I can't find her all I have to do is call her name and she starts peeping loudly until I find her. Usually she is within 5 to 10 feet of the coop but her color blends into the background very well.

I am very concerned that Moon is a boy though. Her comb and wattles say hen but her feathers say roo.

 

[Schultz]

She sounds really sweet. I hope it's a girl but just remember that there are people here that like special needs chickens and if it is a roo maybe someone on BYC will continue the love you have started with Moon

 

[gritsar]

For my half blind hen I do what you've already mentioned. In the evenings she waits for me at the door to the coop or if she waits too long to go in (she has alot of trouble in low light) she waits just outside the coop. I scoop her up and put her on the roost next to my roo.
When she was little I also gave her extra feedings, because it takes her longer to zero in on feed and the others would push her away from the feed. She's outgrown needing my help with that. Also when she was little I used to go out several times a day to make sure she was keeping up with the flock while free ranging. Now she's my roo's favorite and she sticks close to his side when out. She's smart enough that if she does get left behind she simply returns to the coop and waits there for the others to show up.
Other than that, Lil' Bit does just fine.

 

[firedove]

thanks for the insights gritsar! Moon seems to be pretty smart so I think she will do fine if I can keep her. If not (if she is a he) hopefully I can find a home that will have room in their heart for a half blind roo! I know that most would just send her/him to the pot but she/he is just so sweet.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Aw, poor girl. I doubt the condition is reversible, but chickens are remarkably adaptable. Just never rearrange the coop (she'll come to memorize where food and water are and will instinctively head to the same spot) and, if possible, make the entrance/exit more accessible. And don't let her free range! She'll be picked off in a minute. You're not the first to keep a blind chicken, so it's very possible. Good luck!