should I trim around my silkies eyes?

[Jennyhaschicks]

My poor little silkie girls are having a hard time seeing I think. The poor girls are always the last to get over to the treats when I bring them out.
Would it be ok to trim around their eyes so they can see?
I would assume it would be all right to go this, but figured I would ask first just in case.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Yup. A lot of people do this for their Silkies. It might be best to have someone else hold the bird while it is wrapped in a towel so that it can't thrash away from you while you are scissoring away. Silkies are normally pretty docile, but you never know how a creature will react if you're doing something new to it.

 

[LilPeeps]

If you plan on showing, pull the feathers rather than cutting them. If you don't plan on showing, you can cut them and they'll grow back with the next molt.

 

[hippichick]

We always trim ours. We haven't shown yet, and probably won't for a while, so it's ok to trim. It's really easy, but as The Chicken Lady says, it's safer and easier if someone holds the bird and someone else trims. They're not quite as pretty when they are trimmed, but they can see a whole lot better.

Paula

 

[seminolewind]

I trimmed all mine when I realized they couldn't find the scratch, LOL.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

Perfect. I will have dh hold them while I do a trim. I'm not planning on showing so poor things will get a trim.
I hope they become a bit more aware of their surroundings now.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Quote:
Ouch?

 

[hippichick]

Quote:
They're so funny when you first trim them. They're like "OMG, I can see! Wait, what is that, and what is that, and OMG, I can see!!!!" lol

Paula

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

I can't wait to give them that freedom.
I have one pullet who I noticed spends a lot of time in the corner facing the wall. She is a little bullied by one of my BO roos (who needs to be culled btw) so that is what keyed me into something being wrong. Then when I noticed they were the last ones to see treats I bring in for them.

 

[Jennyhaschicks]

I trimmed around their eyes the day I posted this.
What an improvement!!!! They are more alert now. They also can jump up into the second level nest boxes. They have NEVER done this before. They also roost up on one of my lower roosts with the standard sized birds now. They have NEVER done this before either.
What a difference a trim made for them. They sure look funny around their eyes, but at least they are happy.