[Silkiesmooth]

Hi all,
I have had my little girls (assuming girls as no hints of crowing at mo) for about 3 weeks now and have had many laughs at their antics already. My 2 silkies I've named Queen B and Miss Marple and the 2 polands are Paris and Nutmeg. Nutmeg is such a little sweetie, loving all the fuss she can get and trills softly to me whenever she gets to snuggle on my lap. I already love her to bits even if she has discovered that my head makes a very good roost..... unless she thinks I'm an egg as I do have a bit of a slaphead  :oops:
I do feel sorry for her as her feathers completely block her sight and eating is very hit and miss for her and she always misses out on the dried mealworms I give as a bedtime treat,  as the other 3 wolf them down in seconds. Can anyone tell me if its possible to trim these feathers or something?
Thank you in advance for any advice.

[Aunt Sally]

I don't see why not.  It would just be like cutting her hair.

[Fat Hen]

I have a Sultan that has the same problem and occasionally trim her "pom pom" very carefully.  It's a job for two though as as soon as you get scissors anywhere near her she whips her head around to look at them, if not careful there could easily be another reason that she can't see.

She's actually better after rain, as then her "pom pom" hair do turns into a jelled punk job and she can see clearly.

[Skip]

G'Day Silkiesmooth!

I would definitely trim the feathers.  When I lived in Sydney and bred and showed canaries I learnt that the Norwich Fancy breed - http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/canaries/NorwichCanary.php - was prone to blindness because of the crest that covers the eyes.

Mealworms were essential if you wanted to breed a number of breeds of finches, especially Australian ones.  It would follow that chooks would love them too, just as they do slugs and snails.  Why not take Nutmeg aside to ensure she gets a feed of the mealworms.  Even after you trim her feathers it will probably take her a little while to get 'up to speed' when it comes to scoffing the mealworm treats.

Another treat all chooks love is oats.  In fact, they love them that much they used to eat them right out of my hand.  They much preferred oats to wheat and I think they would be a fraction of the price.  Check out the price of oats in your local produce stores.  Out of interest, top chook owners in North America feed them three staples - pellets, oats and corn.  They don't even bother with wheat (even though heaps of wheat is grown on the continent).

And, of course, we'd all love to see pics of the gorgeous girls.