Question for people who have had a site impaired chicken before

[dandydoodle]

Okay, I have a roo that is about 4 months old. I favor this little chicky because, I thought he was just really dumb. I realized today that might not be the case at all, I think he can barely see. I am gonna tell you all the things he does that seem abnormal if you have had a chicken with impaired vision before can you please tell me if that is what it sounds like. Okay, he hardly ever will go outside the coop with the other birds. He stays in the coop and stays close to the food and water most of the time. He has a tendency to stand inside the bowl to eat. Okay I know the standing in the bowl thing can be normal. He also walks really weird. He picks his feet up really high almost like he is trying not to trip on something. When something scares him he will run into walls. He doesn't hang out with the other birds as I said he tries to stay right next to the food and water and doesn't go outside the coop. Instead of walking around the other chickens sometimes he will step right over them. I thought all this time he was just a little slow but, I realized today it might be more. I was feeding him food out of my hand and a lot of the time he misses. He was pecking to the sides of my hands. Then he would take his beak and drag it across my hand almost like he was trying to figure out where it was. After he would do that he would peck at that spot really quick. Almost seemed like he was finding the food and then trying to get some real quick cause, he had found it. So then I watched him drink water, he would peck the side of the waterer and after he did that he would rub his beak down the waterer until he got to the water. Once he got to the water he would take a drink. He also stays right under my feet when I go in. I know he knows I have the food. So it is like he doesn't hang with the birds but, hangs right under my feet. He seems scared of the other birds his size but, when I put in babies he seems really comfortable with them.

If you have had a vision impaired bird does this sound like it might be what is going on with my little roo. Don't worry about him, he is very sweet and has a permanent home here. It would be nice to know if this is his problem though because, if I know that is his problem I will make sure if I ever change things around to show him where everything is. I will also try to keep things in the same place as much as possible for him.

Thanks,
MIchelle

 

[dandydoodle]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Chick Charm]

Sounds like he might have a sight problem. I have yet to care for a blind chicken myself in my own flock.

 

[artsyrobin]

i have a pair of silkie roos in their own pen with very little sight- they keep each other company, the big thing for them is to talk to them before i reach to pick them up so they know what is grabbing them, they have a bright red water dish, so they know where the food is, i rattle the food to let them know its full- also i started a thread on special needs chickens, go check it out

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=8009867#p8009867

 

[zazouse]

I got a 2,5 year old born blind hen and she air pecks and turns in circles when she is excited ,sweet girl , gives me eggs and is a good baby sitter too.Sounds like you guy is blind or close to it.

 

[dandydoodle]

I was thinking he probably just has really poor sight. If he was completely blind would he know where the water bowl and food bowl is?

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Oh dear, I have a chicken with all the same symptoms as yours. Her name is Penny, she is a BO hen, rescued and has one blue eye and one green eye. She is blind in her blue eye, I know because if you put your hand next to the blue eye, she won't notice it at all. her green eye, however, she can see out of fine. If she hears a growl from another hen in the process of a pecking order, she'll run off and bump into a fence. She does indeed lift her feet high in the air and will often fall into the fooddish/waterdish. I lost a totally blind hen named Hazel a few months ago, she had trouble with tumors. She would often listen for other hens pecking at the food or water, then find it slowly. Often I will tap the food dish and whenever she hears it, she kinda memorizes where it is. She is a complete sweety, gets along with any chicken or animal. If you keep the fooddish/water dish in the same spot, he will find it. Any other questions you have, PM me!

 

[dandydoodle]

Hmmm, thanks I guess that isn't a good sign for my bird. That your bird that you know if blind in one eye does the high foot walk too. I wonder if this is common for birds with eye sight problems to walk like this.
Thanks, I will pm you if I need too. Thank you for the offer.


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