Chciken Glasses

 I saw these glasses about a year ago pop up on the internet. Don't remember what I was researching at the time but I could not believe they actually made glasses for chickens. I would suppose there is such things as near and far sighted chickens but to actually test a chicken and put glasses on them seemed ludicrous to say the least. There just had to be something more to it so I researched.

Those of you with chickens know they can be cannibalistic. I have had a few die not from their injury but from the rest of the flock pecking at them until there is a large hole that causes the chicken to go into shock and die. Therefore, I sometimes remove the injured chicken from the coop until they heal and other times depending on the wound, I have used hot sauce to great success. I just pour a heavy dose of a homemade concoction of hot peppers on the bloody spot and sit back and watch. Yes, the stuff is uncomfortable for the chicken but not half as uncomfortable as having a flock go after them pecking at a very sore spot. 

The hen who peck at the blood colored wound  shake and shake their head, then rubs their beak in the dirt trying to remove the offensive liquid. They do not peck again unless they are really stupid. I usually keep applying the hot tasting liquid until the wound has sufficiently healed and I see that the other hens are leaving them alone.

If there is one hen in particular that has a habit of picking on the other hens then she gets the tip of her beak clipped with my goat, hoof clippers. Or she ends up in the stew pot depending on how ornery she is.

The glass's lens changed the color of the blood therefore removing the urge. The hens could still see their food and so all was well.

You can no longer buy the glasses with lenses. I wish I had pair of those. They are just too cool! I guess they were once quite common and used especially when raising large flocks. Crowd chickens and give them free choice of food  so they have little to occupy them and the chickens will grow bored and find someone to pick on. Some breeds of chickens are more susceptible to this habit than others. Of course it is the more nervous breeds as the laid back ones just don't care enough to put forth the effort.

 

You can  still buy blinders which forces the chickens to look down in order to see. Of course that is where the food is so they get along fine. But then where is the entertainment in that? We love watching the chickens darting after a flying bug. It can be hilarious. Or watching one chase a Robin. Ours don't go after any of the other birds but that red is so.... alluring.

 

Wondering how the glasses stay on. They fasten in the vents on the chicken's beak. Wouldn't it be a hoot to see a flock of chickens running around with glasses on. I sometimes think I was just born too late.