My Chicken is Deaf?

[Quonit]

A few months ago I got a flock of nine different chickens, all hand raised and I pay a lot of attention to all of them. One of my birds, a Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantam Which I've named Also Mine, Amy, or Amelia). I've noticed some strange behaviour around her, and did some tests and I'm fairly sure she was born deaf.

Very frequently we've seen it so that she is hanging out with another chicken and doesn't notice when they leave, and when she does she starts yelliing very loudly to go and find them. Even though the rest of the flock responds and are very loud as well, she can never seem to find them until she SEES them. This has happened repeatedly, so I decided to test for when she was asleep and then make loud noises to see if she would notice. She didn't. She responds normally to touch and sight, but never responds to anything auditory.

This wouldn't be much of a problem, but I believe this is causing her a lot of stress. She's yelled so much that she's hurting her voice. She has a lot more anxiety than the other birds and I'm just not sure how to help her. I've looked online for other people who've dealt with deaf birds, but I can't find many resources. Any ideas?

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[Sparkles!]

I think that chickens, perhaps more so than most other birds, experience extreme stress when they are not insight of their flock. Safety in numbers is their #1 mantra. I have never experienced a deaf chicken- I have experienced chickens, ornate bantams specifically, that exhibit the stress you’re describing. With small flocks, it can be difficult for everyone to be close proximity wise if there’s a large area to roam. It’s inevitable that stragglers will surface, and invariably it’s always the ones who stress the worst that are the ones who get left! Some sort of Murphy’s law but the chicken version, I guess.
As far as what you can do about it- get or give her a buddy she gets along with. Have those two be yard birds- give them a small yard close to the coop. You’ll find them to be peas in a pod and they’ll bond to each other. This method works well if they have a disability or if they’re physically unable to keep up with the rest of the flock.

 

[Shannan]

I have a blind rooster and when he first was blinded he would panic when he couldn't hear the other birds. Like Sparkles said, I paired him with a couple of bantam hens and his set up is small enough that he can't get out of earshot with his hens. His coop is completely covered so he doesn't have to worry about predators (I owe him that since I didn't find him when he was attacked by the fox until my second trip out after hearing him. ). Your special girl will likely be the joy of your flock. My Nick is so gentle he visits the local elementary school every year and they LOVE him! He loves all the attention too and since he can't see, will crow even with the little ones around! By the Way, it took him awhile but she will adjust to her disability.

 

[Quonit]

Thank you for the tips!! I will keep these in mind and see if maybe I can give her a buddy to hang out with. It's kind of funny, because she's one of the smallest bantam, but currently her best friend is the *jersey giant*. I'll put some thought into it, lol.

 

[Sparkles!]

My spangled Banty was best buddies with a huge Brahma! And then we had a disabled little silkie bantam and he absolutely adored the largest buff Orpington hen I’ve ever seen.

alas. Same in the parrot world. We just have to accept that they love who they love

 

[Shannan]

They are funny like that. Nick is this huge Rooster and his hen is a very small silkie