Chicken eye problem

[Spiderduck]

My hen got her eyes pecked at, a mother hen just one day decided to attack her!

She was laying flat upside down on the ground when we saw her in the morning, shaking and muddy

I brought her in and cleaned out her eyes as best I could careful not to rub them too much

It’s been 3 days now, the swelling has gone down quite a bit, I give her regular eye washes, with warm water.

One eye is slightly open I would say less than half open, looks swollen around the area

The other eye is closed, I don’t know whether I should be brave and gently pry it open? Or what if her eye is missing? I can see movement under the lid when I wipe it with a cloth but it won’t open

She eats and drinks, when I feed her or put the food in front of her to eat

I popped a few vitamins in her water to keep them topped up

Just want to know how long would it take to heal fully or is there anything I can do to help her

Her head/face also smells awful

 

[Eggcessive]

I would wash the eye lids with warm water or saline, and gently pry the eye open to look for pus, since it looks like it may have pus around the eye. If the eye is glued shut with crust, place a warm wet compress on it and hold for a few minutes, or drip a little warm water on it to dissovle the crusts. Get some plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment ointment and put 1/8 into the eye twice a day after cleaning. If you find pus inside the eye or the swelling persists, it will need to be squeezed out for the ointment to work. Here is a really graphic video of getting pus out of any eye:

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get eye wash at a pharmacy? It costs a few dollars here. Or use saline in the eye, but eye wash is pretty gentle. What do you use in the UK to treat pinkeye? That would probably be good. Can you call a vet office and just ask? Eye wash is better than saline, but you can make homemade saline at home. Boil 1 liter of water and add 2 tsp 9grams of table salt. Store in a sterile jar.

 

[HollyWoozle]

The Neosporin I ordered on eBay (link earlier in the thread) took about a week to come (UK seller but cheap postage). Just thought I'd mention it if you were still thinking to buy some OP.

We do also have Savlon which includes cetrimide and chlorhexidine and is available in most pharmacies.

ETA: Alternatively I don't mind posting you my tube of Neosporin? I could get it in the post tomorrow first class and it would be with you by Thursday. I just bought some for emergencies so I don't need it urgently and seems like it could help your girl.

 

[Eggcessive]

Gosh that is a very nice offer, @HollyWoozle .

 

[silkiemother]

I wouldn't try to open the eye. I had a similar accident except the problem was he got his head stuck in the door. What I did was keep him away from the others and just washed his eyes with warm water for a couple days until he could open both of them without trouble. The swelling should go down in a couple days and it might take a week or two to heal completely.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I always swear by vetrycin, smell is never a good thing with injuries, etc. Usually a sign of bad infection.

 

[HollyWoozle]

@Spiderduck - I am in the UK and finally just found a UK stockist of Neosporin on eBay. Maybe they could offer express delivery? I'm sure we have other options here but I ordered some since it's always recommended on BYC.

You can also get Vetericyn eye wash here in UK.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see any traces of an eye in the socket?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1945433 View attachment 1945434
Today
I still use the saline in both eyes and to clean to again and warm water

In the second pic, does that look like her eye is still there? I can’t see it properly yet but it’s opened a lot more since the pus has gone

It looks like she's improving some.
Is she eating/drinking o.k.? Is the inside of her beak clear of pus or yellow/white patches?