To Cull or Not to Cull

[ZennyHenny2020]

10 week old blind black sex link. Both eyes cloudy and She has no other neuro problems.. I don't think she was born this way but I'm not sure when/how it happened. She stays alone a lot of the time unless they're all feeding she'll be with the other girls. Sometimes she pecks around until she finds others, but can't keep up. I just integrated the flock so it's 13 ten week Olds + 4 two year Olds. I came out to the coop yesterday late morning and this was her. She had obviously been picked at ):
She is still walking around (aimlessly) but enjoys being picked up and held. Part of me wants to cull her and get it over with, part of me wants to let her find her way and maybe get tougher? She most likely won't ever be able to defend herself fully, and we'd have to rig up a little handicap accessible roost for her once she's full grown. Right now at night, we put her in a dog crate with one other pullet (we rotate) inside the coop but it's not sustainable because she definitely needs special attention. I thought about tying her to another girl but that might be traumatic? Do I get tough and Cull? Or wait it out and she if she can hold her own?

 

[Weeg]

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous
The above members will be able to give you more information.
I don't have much experience with blindness or possible neurological issues. I hope your girl is able to pull through!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What happened to her head? Was it from a flock mate or something else?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Did you remove her and treat her wounds?
Can you please get some photos of her eyes?

I would not tie her to another chicken to see if she can get around.
Some birds if blind can adapt to their surroundings, but they do need some daily attention from the flock keeper (You) to ensure they are eating/drinking, that they are not being injured, etc. She may not be able to thrive with a flock and is continually picked on, so consider what you would need to do if she needs to be permanently housed separately - can you accommodate her with her own housing (coop/shelter/run)?

We all have different goals for our flocks, we all have different schedules/commitments, etc. These are things you need to think through. If you find it's not practical to give her the special attention/care and/or housing that she may require (only you can determine if you have time/resources, etc). then culling her so she's not going to suffer may be best.

 

[ZennyHenny2020]

What happened to her head? Was it from a flock mate or something else?

I'm assuming she got pecked. I saw her late at night and by the next morning around 11 that was done and she was acting a little stunned for a while. That's when we started putting her in the dog crate ate night with another pullet or two.

 

[Weeg]

I'm assuming she got pecked. I saw her late at night and by the next morning around 11 that was done and she was acting a little stunned for a while. That's when we started putting her in the dog crate ate night with another pullet or two.

Put her in the crate alone. A dog crate is much too tight for her to be able to escape pecking etc.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Odds are that she will not be able to live with the flock then, if they're going to do that amount of damage. So the choices are cull, house alone as a pet, or with a single docile hen, that's preferably smaller than her

 

[azygous]

Keeping a disabled chicken requires commitment and time, as @Wyorp Rock pointed out. I've had my share of crippled and blind chickens over the years, and I accommodated each one according to their special needs. However, my chickens are my pets and a full-time "hobby" since I'm a retired person.

@Wyorp Rock only touched on a few of the things required to maintain a disabled chicken. Two of the most important factors is how much your blind chicken is able to do for herself and whether she can hold her own in the flock. It appears she isn't doing well with the second factor. You would need to carefully watch her from morning to night to see how much you're going to be required to assist her.

I have a mostly blind going-on-fourteen year old hen right now. She is very good at standing up for herself with the other chickens. I have nipple water tanks that she cannot see to use, but I have water bowls at permanent locations where she can access them. She also knows where all the feeding bowls are and has no trouble competing for food even if she has trouble "hitting her target". She uses her hearing to locate the food by listening to the other chickens pecking at the dishes. She even has learned to bellow, yes, she bellows loudly, for me when she's frustrated, and I intervene occasionally to help her.

If you decide it requires more time and attention than you can comfortably devote to this pullet, then by all means cull her. There is no shame if you decide this is best.

 

[ZennyHenny2020]

Odds are that she will not be able to live with the flock then, if they're going to do that amount of damage. So the choices are cull, house alone as a pet, or with a single docile hen, that's preferably smaller than her

That was our line of thinking.....we did cull her today because she got pecked pretty good again ☹ I made she she had a few hours of snuggles and treats before we did it.

 

[CoconutCoffee]

Culling was probably the best choice honestly. They practically scalped her from the looks of that photo.