Are bulging eyes in a chick a sign of a problem?

[Eggcessive]

The 7th picture in the first post looks to have some gunk in the eye. I would go ahead and use the antibiotic for respiratory disease. Clean any eye with gunk with saline, and apply either Terramycin eye ointment, or plain Neosporin twice a day. Make sure ventilation is good, keep the bedding fresh and clean of droppings, and nit too much heat.

 

[ThePoultryDoc]

Thank you for this!
I hope her eye situation is not health-threatening. If it is a conformational abnormality, will it typically get worse or better for her as she grows?

Re IBV - The first chick with sniffles could have come from the hatchery that way, I'm not sure. I have thought that dust on me from the other hens, like in my hair, gave them whatever it is. Because the one older hen gets bubbly eyes I have thought that it is not IBV but mycoplasma. Is it possible she may have mycoplasma, but the other two hens have some kind of chronic IBV?

Hard to say if it'll persist. It appears to be more of a misshapen cornea. However, it seems to be bilaterally symmetrical and without any lesions. So, her eyelid function is good - if she couldn't close her eyes there would corneal lesions. There's no discharge, so it's not irritating her.
If you're buying chicks that are vaccinated for IBV, you can expect a mild reaction to the vaccine virus. Antibiotics would not be warranted, but I understand the concern and treatment. They would help any secondary infection that may develop, but in good conditions this would be rare.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

The 7th picture in the first post looks to have some gunk in the eye. I would go ahead and use the antibiotic for respiratory disease. Clean any eye with gunk with saline, and apply either Terramycin eye ointment, or plain Neosporin twice a day. Make sure ventilation is good, keep the bedding fresh and clean of droppings, and nit too much heat.

Ventilation is great, an open window on two sides of the tent brooder. I pick out poops at least twice a day, but haven’t totally changed out the bedding (chopped hemp) yet. I can’t do much about the heat except for fans and curtains as we have no AC. Their brooder always has a shady side. They have access to a brooder plate which is on, and last night at least one chick took advantage of it, sleeping half-in.

I hesitate to apply terramycin yet, as it will obscure her vision; I haven't seen any discharge. I'm inclined to take a wait and see approach with that. Could those dark marks be something other than gunk? I got more pictures today.

Below, her right eye rim looks clear here?

At least she can close her eyes -here she is preening today. @ThePoultryDoc @Ponypoor

 

[ThePoultryDoc]

I don't see anything concerning.

 

[micstrachan]

I think she’s fine and you’ve got everything under control as far as being prepared in case problems arise.

 

[Ponypoor]

Ventilation is great, an open window on two sides of the tent brooder. I pick out poops at least twice a day, but haven’t totally changed out the bedding (chopped hemp) yet. I can’t do much about the heat except for fans and curtains as we have no AC. Their brooder always has a shady side. They have access to a brooder plate which is on, and last night at least one chick took advantage of it, sleeping half-in.

I hesitate to apply terramycin yet, as it will obscure her vision; I haven't seen any discharge. I'm inclined to take a wait and see approach with that. Could those dark marks be something other than gunk? I got more pictures today.
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Below, her right eye rim looks clear here?
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At least she can close her eyes -here she is preening today. @ThePoultryDoc @Ponypoor
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They sure are getting big aren’t they

I think she is fine, and once she gets bigger it will likely be less obvious. Have had Arabian foals who had bulgy eyes (which always freaked me out!), but they would grow into their eyes.

I can’t wait to see them as they grow

 

[ChicoryBlue]

They sure are getting big aren’t they

I think she is fine, and once she gets bigger it will likely be less obvious. Have had Arabian foals who had bulgy eyes (which always freaked me out!), but they would grow into their eyes.

I can’t wait to see them as they grow

I hope her eyes are not a sign of other congenital issues which might show as she grows. I have some concern when I often see her closing her eyes as if to sleep when she is standing still. She also closes her eyes when she’s drinking, as if it’s part of swallowing for her, though she doesn’t do it when eating crumbles. Odd.

She’s eating and drinking, and pooping normal poops. She flies, runs and jumps along with everyone else. She just seems to need to sleep or close those eyes when the others are standing and preening or looking around. She is smaller than the others at this point. I hope she’s not doomed! I can’t think of anything to do for her. I’ve put Nutri-Drench into their water to try to give her a boost. Get some Baby Bird feed into her, beyond the Starter?