Chick may be blind in 1 eye. Help...

[thechickenchick]

I hatched 5 beautiful fuzzy "mutts" in the past few days. This is my first hatch so it is all new and very exciting! My problem is...

The tiniest baby just hatched last night. She seems to have something wrong with 1 eye. At first it seemed neither would open. I just directed her to the food again and she does have 1 open. The lid and everything looks normal on the unopen one. I am really not sure if she can see out of the open eye either. Is there a way to tell? Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[gritsar]

When we suspected that Lil'Bit was blind in one eye (she is) my SO had me hold her while he moved his index finger slowly towards her eyes. When he got his finger close enough to her good eye she blinked. He can actually touch his finger to her bad eye without her blinking.
It's also pretty obvious from observing the way she turns her head to look at things that she can't see out of the one.
We just made sure that Lil'Bit got plenty to eat by always having two feeders to choose from, since the others liked to bully her away from the feeder and she does take longer to eat. For awhile I took her aside once a day and gave her an extra feeding all to herself.
She's a grown hen now and does fine on her own. She still likes me to put her on the roost at night because she has problems with depth perception due to her partial blindness.
Were I in your shoes I would be tempted to try to somehow moisten the lid of the closed eye to see if it's stuck shut.
Good luck!

 

[thechickenchick]

Thank you for your help and for sharing the story of Lil bit. I like the idea of feeding her alone once a day. I worry that she isn't getting enough to eat or drink. She seems to be a bit of a loner. Also she hates it when I pick her up, probabally becaus eshe can't really see me. I will try to moisten her lid when DH gets home so he can hold her for me.

It is encouraging to hear that Lil Bit is doing fine and all grown up! I hope mine does great to. I need to name her soon!

 

[gritsar]

I really do hope that your little one does just as well.
My right hand stays continuously bruised because when I hand feed treats Lil'Bit always misses the treat a couple of times before she finally zeros in on it. It's a small price to pay.
She's a darling and I love her.

 

[thechickenchick]

I was able to open her other eye!

It looks like there may be a little bit of clear fluid in the eye. Any ideas? I am not sure yet that she sees very good if at all. I will keep a close eye on her. If it is stuck shut in the morning does that indicate infection?

 

[gritsar]

Does the eye look normal other than the clear fluid?
I'd give her a couple of days to see if it clears up on its own.

 

[thechickenchick]

They both seem a little squinty. I will just keep a close eye on her. She has found the food and water just fine. She seems to be a little more active too! Thanks again for your help!

 

[gritsar]

You're welcome. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well for her.

 

[Jonathanq1]

Last time I had this happen I hatched it too early Good Luck usually they don't make it. check the toes If there in no chance...

 

[FarmerDenise]

If you feel like going to the expense, you could get an eye "cream" that is given to people recovering from eye surgery, It should be free from preservatives. Put a little bit on each eye to help lubricate them. I had a chick that suffered an injury to her eye. She ended up with very limited vision in that eye, but was a much loved chicken and managed fine for a long time. She also happend to have a badly crossed beak, but that is another story.