Chicken closing eyes

[Kal99]

Hi, I’ve only had my chickens for 3 weeks so could do with some help/advise with one of them

One of my chickens ( an emerald) closes her eyes A LOT, even when she’s held. she’s the bottom of the pecking order. She’s very nervous, but will stand still and close her eyes even sometimes peck with her eyes closed, she alert and still runs around (mainly when herding them back up from free ranging the garden) they have a very large run and hen house, so she’s got plenty of space.
One of the others (one above her in the pecking order) will peck at her and sometimes chase her. So I don’t know if there’s something wrong with the emerald or if it’s because of bullying.
Any help or advice if hugely appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[SunnySid3Up]

Are they red, or swollen at all.

 

[Kal99]

Are they red, or swollen at all.

No I’ve checked her all over and can’t see anything wrong

 

[Eggcessive]

How is the ventilation in your coop and run? Is there much dust or any wet moldy areas? You could apply a bit of saline or some commercial eye wash to her eyes, and examine them for any bubbles, inflammation, dirt or other problem. One is always going to be the low one in the pecking order. You may want block the others out of the area, and spend some time with her letting her eat and drink, and maybe offer her a little treat of her own. @azygous wrote a good article about how to handle a bullied chicken. I will see if I can find it.

 

[Kal99]

Thank you so much for your reply! the run is wire mesh with a solid roof and the coop has a vent, so both are well ventilated. I will double check her eyes, but couldn’t see anything this morning.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is the article I was mentioning, and it may be helpful to you and others later on:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[Kal99]

No I’ve checked her all over and can’t see anything wrong

I’ve just check again this afternoon and one eye is now a bit pinky on the one side, any recommendations on eye drops?

 

[Eggcessive]

You can use Terramycin eye ointment from your feed store which is normally locked up. I have used plain Neosporin triple antibiotic ointment in a pinch. To irrigate eyes, Bausch and Lomb Eye Relief Eye Wash at Walmart or other pharmacy is around $4. Saline is good also. Lastly Vetericyn Eye Gel at feed stores can be good as well.

Coops in summer usually need a lot of ventilation, usually cross ventilation overhead of the roost from one end to the other, or side to side.

 

[Kal99]

You can use Terramycin eye ointment from your feed store which is normally locked up. I have used plain Neosporin triple antibiotic ointment in a pinch. To irrigate eyes, Bausch and Lomb Eye Relief Eye Wash at Walmart or other pharmacy is around $4. Saline is good also. Lastly Vetericyn Eye Gel at feed stores can be good as well.

Coops in summer usually need a lot of ventilation, usually cross ventilation overhead of the roost from one end to the other, or side to side.

Thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it!!