Potentially blind hen?

[Kel60]

So in think iv finally figured it out. Vanilla bean is blind, or damn close to it.

she Had always been the odd one out in the coup nervous and twitchy but really easy to catch. About 2 weeks ago she got herself stuck in the feeder (top fill type) and was there most of the day far as I can tell. She snapped a wing feather beat her beak bloody and broke a toe.

I brought her in and put her in a cloth puppy pen iv got to try and heal up. Shes doing remarkably well so far wing and beak are looking good but the toe is healing crooked. I'd been trying to figure out why shes kept flushing in the coup till she managed to nail the feeder.

I was changing her water last night when I realized she wasnt reacting to my hand only a few inches from her. I brought it over to her and had a finger less then a centimeter from her eye and no reaction. I tried a flashlight to see if she'd react to that and she seemed to sometimes tilt her head towards it. Like she could kinda see the light but that was it.

Iv got her in a more permanent pen now I'm my room. She seems to be able to eat and drink ok. Although now that I'm watching for it she pecks the air alot like shes trying to find it.

Do you guys think she'll adapt to blindness alright of she stays by herself? She obviously cant handle the others now. Especially since its spring and my roo had remembered hes a guy

I would like to keep her with me. I dont really want to kill her if i dont have to. But of shes just going to suffer I dont want her to slowly starve or something. Has anyone heard of blind quail thriving with the proper care?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Birds adapt to thing very well. I'd watch her closely. Sometimes it's also quality of life you have to worry about, not just suffering. Maybe get her a friend and build a small hutch or make shift hutch somewhere. Is she still laying for you?

 

[Kel60]

Birds adapt to thing very well. I'd watch her closely. Sometimes it's also quality of life you have to worry about, not just suffering. Maybe get her a friend and build a small hutch or make shift hutch somewhere. Is she still laying for you?

no eggs since she came in. But the others only just started laying might just be stress. She flinches at everything I'm not sure a friend is a good idea for now. And she has a personal hutch now. I built her one yesterday.

 

[Nabiki]

If you are willing to keep her separate from the main group with a calm, older bird for company, she might be able to adjust just fine. She will need a smaller space as well so she can learn her space. She will always require some special care. For example, make sure her water and food are always in the same place and that her companion is mellow.

 

[Kel60]

Guess I'll be hatching some new kids this year then. If i take another hen from the flock my roo is gonna get over berring. I'm down to 4 girls outside. My Rosetta is prob the one I'd bring in with her. A little chiller then the others. Might just buy some more hens for outside instead of hatching :/ got all males last time. Was depressing couldnt find anyone to take them and had to cull the lot.

 

[Nabiki]

Guess I'll be hatching some new kids this year then. If i take another hen from the flock my roo is gonna get over berring. I'm down to 4 girls outside. My Rosetta is prob the one I'd bring in with her. A little chiller then the others. Might just buy some more hens for outside instead of hatching :/ got all males last time. Was depressing couldnt find anyone to take them and had to cull the lot.

Where are you located? I'm sure you can find someone local who has an older hen for you.

 

[Kel60]

Where are you located? I'm sure you can find someone local who has an older hen for you.

just outside of chicago, but i want to give it another week or two before i start looking for one and i know at least one other person near me with quail. i actually gave them their first hatching eggs! i want to let her get settled a bit and see how shes doing. if shes having to much trouble eating and drinking im going to have to put her down, be kinda dumb to get her a friend just to have to do that later. and i wouldnt want to put a lone new hen in with the others if that happened.

 

[eveliens]

I have a male button quail that is mostly blind. I keep him with an older hen, who he loses frequently and whistles for often. It took him almost a week to find her nest after she went broody but he now loyally guards like he's supposed to. As long as the food and water is in the same place and things don't move around the cage, he navigates just fine. They are in quite a decent sized cage and he just follows the edges around most of the time. I think he had some kind of bacterial or viral infection, and he's been blind for several months without issue. As long as there's no secondary health issues, your hen will probably adapt very well and be fine.

 

[FloorCandy]

I have several blind quail, they tap tap around like the three blind mice. They need open top feeders and they can’t use nipples, otherwise they do fine.