baby chick with eye problem

[ginghamgeisha]

We picked up our chicks from a local feed store on Monday. They looked to be around a week old. When we got home we discovered that one of the Ameracaunas had a problem with her right eye. We thought at first that she didn't have one. It didn't really change until today. It looks crusty and pussy now. It doesn't really look sunken but we can't tell if there is an eye there or not. She is otherwise very healthy and our biggest, friendliest and fastest grower. Should we give her oral antibiotics or apply something to the area? None of the other chicks bother it or her...they all actually seem to like her.

 

[Eggcessive]

You need to get a cotton pad or a washcloth with warm water on it--wring it out so that it isn't sopping wet. Then grab the chick and put this on the eye for about 15-20 minutes while you hold it. This should soak the gunk off--just keeping softening it with warm water or saline. After you get the dried drainage off, put some Terramycin eye ointment from the feed store or plain Neosporin ointment into the eye, and reapply twice a day. Repeat the warm eye soaks if needed. Hopefully it is just from a peck injury, and will heal soon.

 

[ginghamgeisha]

To update everyone: I followed Eggcessive's advice and immediately started applying a warm washcloth to the crusty area and washed it with saline solution. The majority of the crust came off to reveal a swollen eye. I had also asked for advice from a friend who is an equine dentist and is finishing her graduate work in vet school. She suggested that we use Vetericyn instead of Neosporin so I went down to the tack and feed store and grabbed a bottle of that. I was pretty shocked to see that the price was $32 for an 8oz. spray bottle so I asked one of the employees why on earth it was so expensive and he proceeded to tell me about a cow of his that had sliced it's neck open pretty badly on barbed wire and he applied vetericyn and it cleared up like nothing had ever happened in a few days. Then my friend texted me saying that it kills merca so I decided it would maybe be worth it to have on hand.

So, I returned from the tack store, we applied another warm compress and washed it with more saline and were able to completely remove all the crust around her eye. She has a fully functioning, yet still swollen eye! We sprayed the vetericyn on it and put her back in the brooder and now she is literally relearning how to navigate since she has both eyes. She even seems like she's playing and happy!

 

[mdmdyer4u]

SO glad I found this post! I just started a new thread about a new hatched chick's eye problem that looks very similar to this ones, but the drainage on my chick is very bad. I'm going to try this above suggested and cross my fingers.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you have the parents of the hatched chick. Did they have any respiratory disease in the flock? Respiratory diseases are usually chronic, and can be passed on to chicks if they are raised nearby, and some such as mycoplasma can be passed through the egg. I hope that your chick gets better soon.

 

[mdmdyer4u]

I do not have the parent, I try to not bring adult birds in...due to the possibility of disease/infections. I found your comment on the post after I started a new thread. I'm going to try this first thing in the morning. I sure hope it works!

 

[phyllisgarrett688]

You need to get a cotton pad or a washcloth with warm water on it--wring it out so that it isn't sopping wet. Then grab the chick and put this on the eye for about 15-20 minutes while you hold it. This should soak the gunk off--just keeping softening it with warm water or saline. After you get the dried drainage off, put some Terramycin eye ointment from the feed store or plain Neosporin ointment into the eye, and reapply twice a day. Repeat the warm eye soaks if needed. Hopefully it is just from a peck injury, and will heal soon.

My baby chicks were hatched on the 19th and it had a leg problem. I left him alone and he began to run around like crazy. Today I was watering them and he was floundering in the pen, as I looked closer he had a pecked eye and a bad peck place under his wing. I applied blue med to his underneather and washed the blood from his face. What else can I do.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Can you start a new thread of your own in the emergency forum? You can apply some saline or eye wash to it’s eye, and then apply Terramycin eye ointment twice a day into the eye. Neosporin works in a pinch if Terramycin is not available. Pictures in your new thread may be helpful.