5 day old chick with crusty eyes.

donnaboydjones

Songster
11 Years
Jul 7, 2011
151
20
176
Whidbey Island, Washington State
My turkin hatched 9 chicks , five days ago and last night I noticed one of them had a crusty eye. It was too late to do anything, but I planned on it first thing this morning. When I went out there this morning the same baby had both eyes crusty. The babies and mama are separated from the flock( they can see each other) w/ two heating lamps, clean nesting shavings, food and water.
No one else is sick and I don't know what to do. Any ideas on what I should do?
 
Is it possible the chick was chilled? Did it get stuck in a cold spot?
I wondered the same thing since she hatched these in winter and they are in the coop. I spoke with the local farmers supply company and they thought maybe the mom had injured it , cause I had mentioned she stepped on them a lot. When I went to check on the chicks last night, one of the eyes was fine and the other was worse and I caught two chicks pecking the eye, so I removed it and brought it inside in a broody box. It certainly doesn't like being away from mama and siblings, but everytime I checked on it through the night it was sleeping and this morning it is eating and peeping. Eye doesn't look any better today. Is there anything I can put in the eye that may help?
 
Quote:
I don't know about putting anything in the eye. I have seen when a chick got cold that its eye looked like it was draining, then went away after a few days- it was not a respiratory infection in my case. You did right to get the chick out of there if they were pecking the eye. Is there a way you can set up a brooder inside the coop or make it so that the others are near to the chick so she doesn't lose her status as part of the flock while still being under a heat lamp?

Here is a post about using antibiotic ointment in eyes:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/566566/please-help-can-you-use-neosporin-in-eye
(see what dawg53 said)

If you have had any respiratory disease in your flock, you might consider that as a possibility for the chick as willowbranchfarm said, or it might just be from getting cold/injured.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/624113/crusty-eye-closed-shut-update
see post #4
 
You can get some Teramycin ( sp?) at the farm sore. It is an eye ointment. I put some on a duck that the feed store gave me cause she had an injured eye. After a couple of days of putting it on her eye was better.
 
I don't know about putting anything in the eye. I have seen when a chick got cold that its eye looked like it was draining, then went away after a few days- it was not a respiratory infection in my case. You did right to get the chick out of there if they were pecking the eye. Is there a way you can set up a brooder inside the coop or make it so that the others are near to the chick so she doesn't lose her status as part of the flock while still being under a heat lamp?

Here is a post about using antibiotic ointment in eyes:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/566566/please-help-can-you-use-neosporin-in-eye
(see what dawg53 said)

If you have had any respiratory disease in your flock, you might consider that as a possibility for the chick as willowbranchfarm said, or it might just be from getting cold/injured.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/624113/crusty-eye-closed-shut-update
see post #4
We'll I think YOU were right after all and not the famer supply store. After going back out to the coop tonight to lock up the flock and check on the chicks for pasty butt, I noticed another chick with the same crusty eyes. These two are among the last that were hatched and I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't get chilled. I've brought the other one in too and is in the laundry room with the first one. I've been using saline eye wash, warm wipes and some neosporin in the first chicks eye and it seems better then it did this morning.
I can put them out in the coop near the mama, but I'm worried that one, if it is something contagious, then I'm putting the rest of my flock at risk( I have 30 in a 500 sq ft coop and they are free range) and two, it's so cold and windy here right now and there aren't any drafts in my house as the coop has. I can always put them back out there if you think it's best. I know that the first baby sure is happy to have some company now.=)
Just when I start to think I know how to raise chickens, something comes up that I realize I have no clue!
 
Sounds like it might be a good idea to leave them in the house then! It is indeed nice that the chicks have each other for company while in the "hospital."

I hope it turns out to be nothing serious.

Accuweather.com was saying that there was a sudden stratospheric warming event over the north pole area that could send us some extra cold air in 10-14 days. Brrrrrr!!!
 
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