Normal Chick Behavior?

[the_kitchen__drawer]

Hi, my mother got 6 Chicks. They’re green eggers from rural king, so I’ve been keeping my eye on them.

this one, She screams, non stop. With her bill open she will sit there and scream and scream and scream. We noticed that if one of her sisters comes over and she can feel them, she settles down. But her sisters can be just out of reach and she’ll scream, but not make any effort to find them. She doesn’t react to fingers by her eyes, interesting wiggly fingers, etc. I’m not sure if she’s having trouble locating the food/water, as I just got home to watch them. She always seems “lost” and panic calls any time she’s “alone.”

is this normal? None of her sisters do this. I’m just worried that she’s blind. Tyia.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Hi, my mother got 6 Chicks. They’re green eggers from rural king, so I’ve been keeping my eye on them.

this one, She screams, non stop. With her bill open she will sit there and scream and scream and scream. We noticed that if one of her sisters comes over and she can feel them, she settles down. But her sisters can be just out of reach and she’ll scream, but not make any effort to find them. She doesn’t react to fingers by her eyes, interesting wiggly fingers, etc. I’m not sure if she’s having trouble locating the food/water, as I just got home to watch them. She always seems “lost” and panic calls any time she’s “alone.”

is this normal? None of her sisters do this. I’m just worried that she’s blind. Tyia.

She sounds blind to me. I have no idea why a chick would be doing that terrified "lost" call unless she truly can't see her broodermates.
Try testing her vision. And, make sure she's getting food and water.

 

[RoyalChick]

Could she be cold? Does she quieten down when placed in the warnest part of the brooder?

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

She sounds blind to me. I have no idea why a chick would be doing that terrified "lost" call unless she truly can't see her broodermates.
Try testing her vision. And, make sure she's getting food and water.

I’m not sure how to test her vision other than what we’ve tried so far- using fingers. She is! We’ve been placing them down by it.

Could she be cold? Does she quieten down when placed in the warnest part of the brooder?

nada. I moved her to the warm end, to the cool end, on food, on water. She ate and drank and kept calling until I got a sister beside her.

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

Mother thought it was because she was “missing” a sister we didn’t take. But that sounds like a level of anthropomorphic that chickens aren’t. They’re only a few days old. if she’s blind, maybe it was her “guide chick”, I guess, but I don’t think it’s so much missing?

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

I can get a video , if it would help.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I can get a video , if it would help.

Sure.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Try it with a normal chick, then her - while their head is still, slowly "poke" a finger towards their eye. Obviously, don't really poke them.
Then try it with her. Does she see your finger and move her head away from it?
Don't give her any other cues you're moving your finger towards her - it should be only visual. If she can't really see it/doesn't react, she's likely partly or fully blind.

 

[RoyalChick]

Can she find the food and drink?

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

@TheOddOneOut