Rooster going blind

[Midlandchick]

View attachment 1918392 Have you ever dealt with a blind rooster/hen?
I am pretty sure one of our two roosters is going blind. He struggles to find the things he’s pecking for as well as his water (although he eventually gets it). His eyes are a little cloudy/hazy looking. Looks like an old dogs eyes with cataracts.
I am thinking we maybe should build him a separate area although I hate to isolate him Unnecessarily. Otherwise the two roosters together have not been any issue at all so far with 9 hens. They are all about 6 months old.
I am afraid he’ll be picked on at some point so I am thinking having a separate space for him in case things go bad might be best? Of course he is my son’s absolute favorite so I don’t want to send him away.

 

[chickens really]

Mereks? @Wyorp Rock

 

[Eggcessive]

Could you post some clear pictures of his eyes in light? Eye disorders in chickens are common and may be a result of a peck wound, infection, vitamin deficiencies (A and D,) cataracts, avian encephalomyelitis virus exposure early in life, ammonia odors causing corneal ulcers, and Mareks disease. Does he have any eye drainage? I would watch that he doesn’t start getting picked on or bullied. Many chickens do well in a familiar environment where food and water are always in the same location. He might hang around inside the coop and run, although he may stay with the others. Placing more feed and water stations where they hang out may be helpful.

 

[Midlandchick]

 

[Eggcessive]

That does look like a cataract. Is the other eye the same? I would watch for any color change in the iris, turning grey, which can be a sign of Mareks. Plain cataracts can be common, and not related to Mareks. The picture below shows a normal eye on the left side, and the right eye with the eye form of Mareks:

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1918392 Have you ever dealt with a blind rooster/hen?
I am pretty sure one of our two roosters is going blind. He struggles to find the things he’s pecking for as well as his water (although he eventually gets it). His eyes are a little cloudy/hazy looking. Looks like an old dogs eyes with cataracts.
I am thinking we maybe should build him a separate area although I hate to isolate him Unnecessarily. Otherwise the two roosters together have not been any issue at all so far with 9 hens. They are all about 6 months old.
I am afraid he’ll be picked on at some point so I am thinking having a separate space for him in case things go bad might be best? Of course he is my son’s absolute favorite so I don’t want to send him away.

Some photos would be good.

 

[termeerchick]

Oh no I’m sorry about your rooster. I had a hen that was going blind as well. She was about 4 years old though. She had the same looking eyes that were hazy. She was the sweetest out of all our hens but poor girl got taken by a raccoon a few weeks ago. Since then we have secured their coop but I always wondered why she was almost blind.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some links to read about eye problems:
https://poultrykeeper.com/external-problems/blindness/

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/eye-disorders

https://www.dummies.com/home-garden...hickens/poor-sight-and-sore-eyes-in-chickens/

 

[Midlandchick]

That does look like a cataract. Is the other eye the same? I would watch for any color change in the iris, turning grey, which can be a sign of Mareks. Plain cataracts can be common, and not related to Mareks. The picture below shows a normal eye on the left side, and the right eye with the eye form of Mareks:

View attachment 1918402

The other eye is not as cloudy but is a little bit.