# Chick with no eyes



## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Anyone ever seen anything like this before? Older egg, though I'm not sure how old as they didn't sit til the 7th egg. Good size, active, noisy, cross bite an no eyes. Assisted hatch on day 19 of incubation after no progress for a day and half after pip and chick could clearly be seen malpostioned through shell. Currently in nest with mom and siblings, waiting to see if it can feed.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

O wow I thought maybe you had a lutino and the eyes were just the same color as the rest of the skin. I've never seen anything like it. It might be able to make it if it can get fed by the parents but if it doesn't it will most likely die. If it does survive it's going to have a rough life trying to get around the cage with no sight, not impossible just difficult.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

We are going to put it down. It doesn't have a feed response and I'm not sure it can open it's mouth. Even though it was 19 days it seems under developed, smaller head and weird nares and short kinda weird looking down. 
I've never seen or even heard of something like this happening. Very strange. I wonder what caused it.

Other 2 are doing well, Ellie is feeding them, she's tired but I put Bowie in there and he seems bothered that his "eggs" keep moving and have mouths and legs, and he won't feed them.

I think I will have another pip today and hopefully hatch out normal tomorrow.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I don't know what would be the kindest way to put it down. I don't feel like starving to death is the kindest option. 
I remember reading about using baking soda and vinegar to create a had that you can use on small animals. 

Part of me wants to feed it but for 1 I doubt it will survive and for 2 the quality of life wouldn't be good. 
Sometimes keeping something alive is not the kindest option.

I wish I knew what had caused this. It's so odd.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

It aspirated being upside down in the shell after pipping. I can hear the clicking when it breaths. I held it for a bit and then put it back in the nest. Show it a little love and compassion while it's on earth today.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Wow I don't really attend breeding threads, but that's crazy. I've never seen that on a tiel before. Sorry it's going to have to go, but that's pretty unique


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Was it making that noise right after it hatched? If not, it probably aspirated if Ellie tried to feed it. For this one I would let nature take it's course. It's sad but there's really nothing else you can do. 

I'm not sure about the home-made gas. In the vet office, we pour sevo (the anesthesia used for surgery) over cotton balls and place them in a jar with the small animal and close the top. I don't think you have access to something like that.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

It passed on it's own. It was for the best.


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## DivaMamaBird (Mar 2, 2018)

Hello Jenn1469, so sorry to hear about the little chick. I did see the photo never seen that before. Happy to hear the others are doing well. When they get older do you keep them all in one big cage? I look at my home and I have became the cage collector, I have a bird room with cages, family room, kids room. Do you still have the chicks from the first clutch?


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## Janalee (Jul 25, 2012)

*chick with no eyes*

Jenn, I am so sorry for the loss of your chick. I am glad it passed on its own; as you said, it was for the best.
Years ago I was working for a raptor center. One afternoon I went out to feed the birds and there was a fledgling robin on the grass. Not unusual, but it didn't move as I walked by. That was odd so I stopped and looked closer. I picked it up and immediately felt how thin it was. Then I saw there were no eyes, just skin. I took it inside and showed the director. I thought I might like to try to keep it and hand feed it to start and see if it could learn to find its food if I always put it in the same place. We did no have any euthanasia drugs there. The director thought it would be best to just put it back outside and "let nature take its course.". So that's what I did. But that was a wild bird. I still wonder if I did the right thing.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

DivaMommaBird- none of the last clutch survived. The parent birds were 12 and 15 months and dad wouldn't feed the chicks not let mom in the nest during the day. I pulled the chicks after I realized how poorly they were but they didn't survive.

I can't keep all these chicks but I will probably keep 2 and my friend Lynn wants 1 and then I will keep the others until I find a good home. I have 2 huge cages and 1 medium size cage so I have enough room for everyone luckily!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Janalee- it's very hard to know what to do in those situations. I was thinking the same about this little one but really it had a cross bite and it's head was smaller than normal. I'm sure that it had other problems and the quality of life it would have had wouldn't be that great. Sometimes nature is unfair. 😞
My husband would have killed it quickly if it came to that. I just didn't want it to suffer for a long time. 
I did take a lot of pictures, I thought that it was quite strange. Of all things to not develop the eyes? 
Luckily the 3 others so far look great and we have 2 eggs to go.


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