bantam chick with eye problems

[claraserena]

I have a three week old Mille Fleurs bantam chick with something going on with her eyes. She is being raised by a pair of broody hens (one bantam) and 5 siblings. At one week I figured she was blind because when I would open the small coop (all dark) in the morning to let them out, all would rush out but this one—she would stand facing the back of the coop. I saw that she had a piece of pine shaving stuck to her eye and carefully wetted and got it off. Then I saw that neither eye had pupils—just black, opaque, slightly shiny “eyes”. I’ve kept an eye on her and she gets food water and gets around—in fact she got to be hard to distinguish from the others. I figured she had adjusted to her blindness. Yesterday we had to move the lot of them to larger quarters and I checked each chick to see how the blind one’s eyes looked. All eyes or all chicks looked normal with pupils! I have no idea what happened but she acts and looks as if she has sight. Then this morning when I opened the coop there she was standing in the coop facing the back. I picked her up and both eyes were closed tight, as if she couldn’t open them. I put her with the others and next I looked all seemed fine. So she has gone from being eyeless, to having eyes and sight, to not being able to open her eyes at times. Any ideas on what could be going on?

 

[sammi]

wondering if the opaque is the second eye lid stuck?

I think I would try and get some saline eye wash, and wash the eyes..and see if they will open.

and get some antibiotic eye ointment or drops.. feed/farm stores have terramycin eye ointment..but First State Vet Supply online has a different kind..
whatever you can get the quickest.

also..try and get some Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins, (Enfamil brand if you can, no iron) give 2 drops once a day on beak for 2 weeks, tapering off for a week..
in the meantime get some chick vitamins.

make sure the chick is eating..and you might have to separate this chick to make sure it's eating and not being bullied or pecked..
but put another chick in with it for company and keep watch..
if this chick isn't eating as much as the others..moisten the feed with warm water...and dab on beak..also give some scrambled egg, hand fed, if necessary.

 

[claraserena]

I'm pretty sure she is sighted during the day--she eats, drinks, reponds to the other normally and for that I am thankful.
Chickens have a second eye lid? I never heard of that. Please tell me more. It migiht explain things.