- Apr 13, 2017
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This is Blue.
Blue is a Golden Laced Wyandotte hen that turned 5 years old this year, and she is blind. I am so grateful to have had this long with her despite her disability, and I hope for more time with her, but as with anything in life, nothing is guaranteed. To celebrate her reaching 5 years, I wanted to share some of her story and pictures of her.
Blue spends a lot of her time in the coop. Because of this, I always put food and water in the same place, regardless of whether it's morning or evening. I also have a roost placed quite low to the ground so she can easily get onto it without having to fly up to it. She usually walks along this roost to find her water and food, which I place pecking distance from the roost.
She has been blind most or perhaps all of her life. I first noticed that something was off for her visually when she was about 6 weeks old. She was raised with five other chicks the same age, and they were all normal. When I started letting them outdoors, Blue wouldn't fly out with the rest of them. And when I physically brought her out myself, she would try to peck at the ground, but with no direction or specific target. It was at this point I knew she was blind, but I cannot know for certain how long she had been blind for, or why she went blind. I do suspect she may have been blind from hatch and that she still somehow managed to learn to eat and drink with help/direction from her flockmates.
When Blue moved into her current coop at about 4 months old, she actually adjusted very well. Her flockmates helped with that transition, because she recognized their voices and could find her way to the food and water by listening to the sounds of them eating and drinking. I also made noises with the dishes so she could more easily find them those first few weeks. Now, she needs little to no assistance in finding where the food and water are because I am consistent with where they are placed. I believe that a big reason why Blue has lived as long as she has is because of her strong will to live and intelligence. Because of these qualities, she has been able to live a good life thus far despite being blind. She knows and reacts to her name.
The main thing I do is keep an eye on her to ensure she is eating and drinking. Also, making sure the other chickens aren't picking on her too much. Luckily, they don't usually bother her too much. I have also noticed that crumbles are easier for her to eat than pellets. When I tried pellets, she had a hard time adjusting to them, so I switched back to crumbles. She laid eggs somewhat regularly until she was 3 years old, but she hasn't laid any since then.
Blue is a Golden Laced Wyandotte hen that turned 5 years old this year, and she is blind. I am so grateful to have had this long with her despite her disability, and I hope for more time with her, but as with anything in life, nothing is guaranteed. To celebrate her reaching 5 years, I wanted to share some of her story and pictures of her.
Blue spends a lot of her time in the coop. Because of this, I always put food and water in the same place, regardless of whether it's morning or evening. I also have a roost placed quite low to the ground so she can easily get onto it without having to fly up to it. She usually walks along this roost to find her water and food, which I place pecking distance from the roost.
She has been blind most or perhaps all of her life. I first noticed that something was off for her visually when she was about 6 weeks old. She was raised with five other chicks the same age, and they were all normal. When I started letting them outdoors, Blue wouldn't fly out with the rest of them. And when I physically brought her out myself, she would try to peck at the ground, but with no direction or specific target. It was at this point I knew she was blind, but I cannot know for certain how long she had been blind for, or why she went blind. I do suspect she may have been blind from hatch and that she still somehow managed to learn to eat and drink with help/direction from her flockmates.
When Blue moved into her current coop at about 4 months old, she actually adjusted very well. Her flockmates helped with that transition, because she recognized their voices and could find her way to the food and water by listening to the sounds of them eating and drinking. I also made noises with the dishes so she could more easily find them those first few weeks. Now, she needs little to no assistance in finding where the food and water are because I am consistent with where they are placed. I believe that a big reason why Blue has lived as long as she has is because of her strong will to live and intelligence. Because of these qualities, she has been able to live a good life thus far despite being blind. She knows and reacts to her name.
The main thing I do is keep an eye on her to ensure she is eating and drinking. Also, making sure the other chickens aren't picking on her too much. Luckily, they don't usually bother her too much. I have also noticed that crumbles are easier for her to eat than pellets. When I tried pellets, she had a hard time adjusting to them, so I switched back to crumbles. She laid eggs somewhat regularly until she was 3 years old, but she hasn't laid any since then.
