Two days ago I went to let our chickens out to roam a bit while I cleaned up their pen. One chicken didnt come out with the others but just stood in the run doorway which caught my attention. I notices she was just standing there with one eye closed so I hustled the other chickens back into the run and took her in the house to have a look.
She is a brown Lohman chicken.
Presented with one eye closed.
Examined the eye. It seemed fine when I pulled down the lid. No visible scratched etc. Light reactive pupil. She had laid and egg that day.
(We only have two brown layers and there were two brown eggs so I know this for sure.)
I kept her in the house in a dog crate, yester she was still eating and drinking ok though she was having a hard time locating food with just her one eye. She was moving around although a little unsteady occasionally tipping forwards.
Flushed the eye with saline water and applied i drop ocuflux antibiotic eye drop.
This morning she was really not moving around much or eating or drinking as much. So we gave the poultry vet a call and she said. Given the lack out other symptoms, no wheezing, coughing discharge etc that it was likely a tramatic injury and to keep doing what we were, give drops 3/4times a day and add some vitb to water and observe over the next couple days.
That was early this morning. Throughout the day today though she seemed to get more lethargic. She did move around a bit and drink a bit but not anything substantial. She is also having more trouble balancing when walking (tipping forward). She would mostly just hunker down in one spot close her eyes and sleep. She does still open her other eye to look at us when we come over but mostly she just seems to want to sleep. She is also now having looser poops sometime a bright green. Will likely give the vet a call back in the morning as it is seeming now like more than just and eye injury but figure it couldn't hurt to see what insight you folks could give in the meantime.
Edit to add she has not laid an egg yesterday or today.
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
Update video from following day now exhibiting side to side head movement. Both eyes closed. Vet suspects Marek's.
She is a brown Lohman chicken.
Presented with one eye closed.
Examined the eye. It seemed fine when I pulled down the lid. No visible scratched etc. Light reactive pupil. She had laid and egg that day.
(We only have two brown layers and there were two brown eggs so I know this for sure.)
I kept her in the house in a dog crate, yester she was still eating and drinking ok though she was having a hard time locating food with just her one eye. She was moving around although a little unsteady occasionally tipping forwards.
Flushed the eye with saline water and applied i drop ocuflux antibiotic eye drop.
This morning she was really not moving around much or eating or drinking as much. So we gave the poultry vet a call and she said. Given the lack out other symptoms, no wheezing, coughing discharge etc that it was likely a tramatic injury and to keep doing what we were, give drops 3/4times a day and add some vitb to water and observe over the next couple days.
That was early this morning. Throughout the day today though she seemed to get more lethargic. She did move around a bit and drink a bit but not anything substantial. She is also having more trouble balancing when walking (tipping forward). She would mostly just hunker down in one spot close her eyes and sleep. She does still open her other eye to look at us when we come over but mostly she just seems to want to sleep. She is also now having looser poops sometime a bright green. Will likely give the vet a call back in the morning as it is seeming now like more than just and eye injury but figure it couldn't hurt to see what insight you folks could give in the meantime.
Edit to add she has not laid an egg yesterday or today.
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
Update video from following day now exhibiting side to side head movement. Both eyes closed. Vet suspects Marek's.
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