Several months ago, I noticed one of our older hens seemed to be having problems with her vision. Tubs was acting a little bit off and constantly turning her head to see with only one of her eyes. I gave her a good once over and noticed that indeed one of her eyes looked much different.
Not only was it discolored, but the pupil looked very strange. It was almost as if there was a hole in the center and it appeared white and cloudy. I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what caused it. The one thing I did know was that she no longer had vision in that eye.
For about a week she acted somewhat disoriented while adjusting to only being able to see out of one eye. I was getting worried about her, but eventually she was used to her new normal and began to show signs of her old self again. Her other eye is healthy and no other chickens were having problems, so my best guess is that she was pecked in the eye which caused her to lose vision.
Thankfully, she doesn't seem to be affected by it at all anymore and hasn't lost her assertive, confident, take charge personality. Especially when she spots a treat.
Do you have any animals that have learned to live and thrive with disabilities?
~Tammy
that last shot is adorable. glad she is doing great. :)
ReplyDeleteTammy, animals amaze me with their ability to adapt to disabilities. Willow is pretty much blind and deaf now-and though it was heart wrenching when she fell down three stairs a week ago-and got a boo boo on her chin-she bounced (after I used that word I had to giggle!) right back and is as good as new!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend with all of your "family." ")
It's amazing how some animals just adapt to their disabilities and move on with things.
ReplyDeleteSo glad she is doing well! What a beauty she is!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that tubs has gotten better with her vision. By the way I love those beautiful spottings on her!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your hen has adapted to her disability. Animals are amazing aren't they?
ReplyDeleteGlad she is fine. I've known several blind horses.
ReplyDeleteAnnie is smaller than the others because of her birth and still does well with the others. She is half the size of others her age. She is doing alright. B
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear she is adapting to her new situation. Chickens can be so resilient.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about her eye. I'm glad she's been resilient though, and bounced back.
ReplyDeleteI've seen dogs go through old age and adapt as needed to the changes that come with that...
but that's all I can think of at the moment.
Have a great weekend!
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a dog that ran in the street and got hit but a car. He lost one of his front legs but man could he move. They lived in a three story house and all those stairs didn't even phase him.
ReplyDeleteAww, how precious! Glad she is adapting well. As you know we have all kinds of disabilities here, and my blind ram lost his sight at a week old and adapted so well. Everyone said to put him down and I thought because he can't see? Big deal. He has us to see for him!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry she lost vision in her one eye. I am glad she is Ok and is adapting.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy weekend, Tammy!
Ah, poor thing - I feel so sad to think she hurt her eye. I admire her ability to adapt to her new normal, though.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that Tubs has adapted to having one good eye. We may be facing this now with Harriet, she suffered a horrible fight this week, and is struggling with vision right now. She was doing well tonight using the one eye that was working for her, so I am hopeful that she can pull through all this.
ReplyDeleteI am glad she is adapting well Tammy.
ReplyDeleteWe got a black silkie chick this year ( from a friend that had gotten them from a hatchery) It was a baby chick that was born with a club foot . When we first got her she was a bit slower than the others.
Now that she is older you would never know she had a disability , she is as fast as the others.
So glad that she has adapted to having vision in only one eye! Love the last picture of her!
ReplyDeleteTubs is a beaut. What kind of chicken is she? Glad she is adapting well.
ReplyDeleteAwww, poor girl. Glad she has such a loving home.
ReplyDeleteYes, poor girl. Isn't it amazing how well she has adapted though! From the 2nd photo she seems to be doing what chickens do best, hunt for treats. :-) One of my girlfriends adopted a cat that her husband rescued (he's a vet). He lost a leg. They called him tripod.
ReplyDeleteI like the last photo:) it's amazing how resilient animals are. They can adapt at any age. Too bad we humans can't adapt this well!
ReplyDeleteOne of my latest chicks had scissor beak. She thrived for a little while but foraging was hard since she couldn't really peck well. She did alright and we were hopeful, but she finally just stopped eating and we had to ease her passing so she wouldn't suffer. Keeping chickens is so much more than collecting eggs, isn't it?
ReplyDeletepoor Tubs! but I'm happy she found her normal self again. the last photo is a treat itself. made me laugh. I love how you care about your chicken, makes me love them too. my cat Kuki is 10 years old and she has been losing her teeth very rapidly but thankfully she still manage to eat her diet on dry food. happy Sunday sweetie :) xxo
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she's adapting well! I love her markings and the last picture is priceless!
ReplyDeleteShe's a beauty, and I'm glad she's still living a happy life. I have a cat, Foxy, with poor vision, and she is very sweet and manages very well.
ReplyDeleteOh, how sweet! It's amazing how they adapt, isn't it? We had a cat who went blind. You could almost see him counting his steps when he walked so he knew where he was. The texture difference between floors helped him and we made sure not to move any furniture so as not to confuse the poor guy. :)
ReplyDeletelmao! nature is strange and wonderful...that photo of her in the can is just priceless. Made me smile and giggle out loud.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any pets who have any disabilities but I could swear that my kids act like they all do. :) Just like humans learn to adapt when they lose one of their senses so did Tubs. Happy that she's back to being her jolly little self. Hope you're having a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom's dog has lost his vision and we have tried to accomodate his needs. It's amazing how resiliant animals are and how they don't loose their spirit! Love the photos, as always. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend my friend!
ReplyDeleteWe have a chicken which we (unimaginatively) call 'Blind'. When we first got her we thought she was really stupid because she was always blundering around and slow to work things out, but then we realised she was actually severely vision impaired! Her pupils never dialate. She would stretch her leg out to test to see what was there, but once she worked things out it would be hard to believe she couldn't see. She might actually be the smartest of our chooks despite her disability. In the wild she wouldn't stand a chance, but with us shes living the good life.
ReplyDeleteWe had a hen with a malformed foot. We called her Chickaboom. She wobbled when she walked and slept on the floor of the coop because she couldn't roost. She had trouble getting up the steps into the coop at night and it usually took her a few tries. But she was a tough bird who never let herself be bullied. She had a great (if a bit cranky) personality. She adapted well to her disability and would dive right in and scramble for treats with the rest of them. She was nowhere near the bottom of the pecking order. Sadly we lost her and several others to a predator attack. But we're glad to have had some time with Chickaboom.
ReplyDeleteAww poor girl! I'm glad she is adapting so well. Beautiful pictures as always ;)
ReplyDeleteYes we do! We have an Aracuna pullet that came to us as a chick with a broken leg. We didn't think she would make it but she is 10 weeks old and still going strong. She gets around fine with her leg all sprawled out. I almost want to cut it off! So far she is fine though, so we are leaving it be. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteTubs has very nice markings!! Poor girl - it almost looks like she has a cateract. I like how you put it - her new normal!! guess she doesn't have much choice!! great shot of her getting her snack :-}}
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