seeking advice from anyone who's raised a blind chick

[bibblekit]

My bantam brahma Spotty hatched 2 chicks, Twinkle is perfect & growing huge, Giblet sadly is quite small and blind
(mostly or totally we're not yet sure) they're now 5 weeks old. Giblet is getting the hang of where the food is, chick crumb
soaked in water, & perching on the favourite log & can follow Spotty around so long as she doesnt go too fast.
I've decided if Giblet turns out to be a boy I will have him put to sleep but if a girl I hope to keep her in a run with a friend,
someone suggested a silkie may be gentle enough. The signs so far are Giblet is probably a girl.
I'd appreciate anyones experience of doing this, how they managed food - could they find grit? how they introduced
a friend etc what sort of life the hen had?
Yesterday was a sunny day

I let Spotty take Twinkle for forage round the garden, Giblet seemed happy to lie by
her food bowl in the pen on her own, sunbathing till they came back

 

[jak2002003]

I have a hen Japanese Bantam that is virtually blind. She has a lovely happy life and I don't need to do anything to help her really. I just make sure of the following:

I use the same big red feeder for the chickens food, and keep it in the same place. She knows where it is. If I move it, or use something she in not used to for the food, she can not see to eat it. Also if I throw food on the ground she can not see it. So a deep large feeder is a must.

Same for the water.

She gets about free ranging great, but never finds anything to eat! She follows one of the roosters about - with her head in his tail feathers! If she looses him she will make a noise and the rooster comes running back to her! She is lucky.

Why do you want to kill the chicken is it is going to be a rooster? Are you not allowed roosters where you are? If she turns out to be a he....then you will have a lovely colourful rooster and you can be sure he won't harass you are the hens....as he can't see them to chase them!

Have you got any pics of the chicken? Here is a photo of mine.....her name is Perkin:

And here she is with Noodle - her 'guide rooster'.

 

[bibblekit]

Jak..awww! I love Perkin and Noodle, they're gorgeous!
I'm afraid I already have a rooster - he's Giblet's dad Smidge. He's a lovely boy & very tame but I dont think he'd like
another rooster around his girls so it would be in the run all the time not much of a life really, also my neighbours
are very good about our cockerel, but I wouldnt want to push it by having 2 crowing. However..we always said we
couldnt keep a cockerel atall, and we have, so who knows?!
This is Spotty dustbathing with Twinkle (left) and Giblet, who's rather tatty while the feathers are still coming, she
should end up mum's colour


This is Smidge

Anyway, I've gone off topic a bit, thanks for the information Jak, was Perkin born that way? how are the other hens with her?
I have 2 big girls (bluebell & orpington) who I think would bully Giblet.

 

[jak2002003]

I am sure your rooster will not mind his son hanging about. I have 6 roosters and they all get on fine. I think your blind one will not try to fight the older rooster as he won't be able to see him, so the older one will not see him as a threat. But, I hope he will be a she for you, as then you have no worries.

My chicken was like that since I bough her as a pullet from a pet shop with some other hens. I soon noticed something not quite right as her behaviour was strange. I would see her out of the coop happily walking about on her own after dark! She also had trouble picking up food or drinking - she always bobs her head up and down many times until she touches the food. She will dunk her entire head under the water to drink! I thought she was slightly brain damaged, but then I realised she was nearly blind.

Her eyes were not right - the black pupils were always wide open - even in bright daylight. She can see large moving things and will run to them - like my dog or the roosters tails. She likes to press herself next to my leg - even climbing on my foot in the run. So I have to be careful not to step back onto her.

It took her ages to use a roost. Now she will jump up and down like a spring until she 'hits' the roost - and they she will grab it!

I will never re - home her as I am sure she will die if someone does not make sure she gets enough to eat and drink. I have a problem with my own eyes, and so I share a special bond with her and she teaches me not keep trying until I can do something - she never gives up or gets depressed!

A very strange thing is that all the other hens are lovely to her! She seems to get away with the pecking order thing. They let her push through them into the food and land on them on the roost! I never seen another hen peck at her. Perhaps its because they know she never steals their treats!

Your chickens are so cute! I love the feathers on the legs. Here are a few pics of my gang. See if you can spot Perkin!

 

[bibblekit]

Oh yes, Giblet behaves so like your Perkin! Like you I thought she was brain damaged at first & didnt think
she would last the week. She was pecking her self and the air, I finally realised she was pecking at her crop when
she was hungry. Now she can find the food bowl & perches on the edge of it & keeps bobbing till she hits food,
sometimes she faces the wrong way round & cant find the food! While Spotty & Twinkle went for a wander, Giblet
pressed up against her bowl & had a snooze.
I certainly feel better about it after speaking to you, so thankyou. I'll let you know how Giblet turns out.
This was Giblet's first appearance, bless her cotton socks, how could I not give her a chance!

 

[jak2002003]

So cute - and great photos!

 

[Fraunie]

Aww, what heartwarming stories of your little blind buggers!!!! Precious, and so nice to hear they both are getting on and Perkin has had such a great life so far!

 

[bibblekit]

Jak, one more question, how does Perkin find grit? do you add it to the food, or does she just never eat anything that needs it?
Giblet does have a scratch and general peck at the grass sometimes, so is bound to manage to pick something up eventually,
but I do worry that if she cant pick up grit she'll have problems.
I'm now pretty sure she can see light & dark like Perkin, maybe shadows & colours, she turns her head towards my hand.
I shall experiment with different colours & see how she reacts.

 

[RonC]

I would recomend just sprinkle a little grit in their food like using salt. That way you know they will get some.

 

[bibblekit]

Giblet now has a new friend, a young silkie pullet who was been badly bullied & needed a gentle companion
a perfect match!
her name is Mrs Fluffnut, Giblet follows her to the food. They've become inseparable.