Chick with injured eye... advice?

VanessaM

In the Brooder
Jun 2, 2015
17
3
26
I was just cleaning out the brooder and I noticed that this little guy has one eye shut. It doesn't appear gummy or injured, but he definitely isn't opening it. He is acting a little more sluggish than the others, but eating/drinking/pooping is fine. Thoughts? Is he sick or do you think another chick injured him? Is the sight in this eye gone for good? Is there anything I can do to help him?

Thanks in advance!

 
Watch your chick closely, if other eye closes it may be sick. I lost a chick this way, she started standing around one or both eyes closed, very sluggish or didn't move much at all. She wasn't thriving. How old is your chick? As long as she's eating and drinking and pooing properly, as well as being active, I wouldn't worry too much!
 
Thank for replying! So worried...

Now her other eye seems to be more closed than open, though she can still open it. Her behavior sound exactly like what you are describing. Is this an illness she could be giving to the other chicks? Is it helpful for her or for the others to segregate her? I had put her in a separate pen for a while but she was so obviously distressed that I ended up putting her back. She is two weeks old and has been doing very well until today.
 
I have a chick with a sore eye too - I think she has just hurt it somehow (poked in the eye by another chick when playing perhaps). We've been rinsing it out with a saline solution (1/2 tsp uniodised salt to 1 cup water boiled for 15 minutes with the lid on the pot then cooled and stored in a clean lidded container). I've been using an eye dropper. She's the same as yours, eats, drinks, is active, but I know she's feeling sorry for herself and is a bit more sleepy than usual which is understandable if she's in pain and is healing. If she wasn't eating I'd start to worry. The other chick is absolutely fine. Our girl does close both eyes (especially when we get her out to rinse out her eye!) but seems to be improving - I see her opening her bad eye more and it still looks a bit gunky but we are getting there. It would probably stress your chick out more being separated from her friends. Hope that helps.
 

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