Chick with goopy, crusty eye and what I pulled out of it

[BlossomSilkies]

Month old chick with it's left eye crusted closed. I brought her in to clean it up with some warm water and as I was sort of scraping away at the crust, gently, this is what came out of her eye. I thought maybe I pulled out her eyeball, seriously, but she still has an eye ball, thank goodness. What is this? And what if any further treatment should I do on her?

 

[coach723]

That's pus. Either the bird got bacteria/debris/some kind of injury that caused infection, or has a respiratory illness causing it. I would flush that eye really well with sterile saline or eye wash, make sure there is no more pus or any debris in there. Any remaining pus would also need to be removed. Then I would use terramycin eye ointment a couple of times a day in that eye (first choice-image below- some feed stores carry it, you can also buy online), or plain neosporin if you can't get the terramycin.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

That's pus. Either the bird got bacteria/debris/some kind of injury that caused infection, or has a respiratory illness causing it. I would flush that eye really well with sterile saline or eye wash, make sure there is no more pus or any debris in there. Any remaining pus would also need to be removed. Then I would use terramycin eye ointment a couple of times a day in that eye (first choice-image below- some feed stores carry it, you can also buy online), or plain neosporin if you can't get the terramycin.
View attachment 4153959

Great, thank you!

 

[BlossomSilkies]

Ran out for supplies. The eye looks surprising good. Its been a few hours since I messed with it earlier this morning. Brought her in and cleaned her up and put the ointment on. I checked to see if there was anything else in there, difficult to tell, but I don't think there is. I'll check on her in a few hours. No other symptoms at all, she is running around with her siblings and mama like normal.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I had this happen with a puppy. The amount of gunk I pulled out of his eye didn't not make sense! Glad your girl is feeling better.

 

[coach723]

It could have been some debris, bedding, etc that got stuck in the eye, or even a peck by another chick. I would continue the ointment for 5 days, and keep an eye on it.