Chicken gone blind?

[ajrisley]

Hello everyone! I have a chicken that is approximately 6 months old. She has always been the loner of the group and has stuck to herself. I recently noticed she was keeping one eye shut almost all the time. She can open it but rarely does. It looks normal when she does. I tested her reflexes by waving my hand in front of her "good eye" and she did not respond. The eye looks fine but she does not respond st all to movement or light. She won't peck food or scratch out of my hand and I'm worried she isn't eating, drinking or coming down fro her ledge. I go to work before the chickens come out of the coop and when I get home they are all up for the night. I'm hoping to watch her over the weekend to ensure eating and drinking. What can I do for her? She is super sweet and loves to be held and petted. Pictures included of both her eyes. Thank you for reading my worried chicken momma rant!

 

[junebuggena]

She may have suffered a scratch to the cornea. Separate her from the flock and give her sometime to heal. I've got a partially blind hen in my flock, due to injuries sustained when she got stuck in some fencing. Took her a while, but she's adjusted very well. Most of the time, you can't even tell that she can't see well.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I might suspect Mareks with her age and sudden symptoms.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

I don't belief Marek's causes Blindess, does it?

Her eyes looks fine, but she may have scratched it.Her closed eye...I don't know about that....

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't belief Marek's causes Blindess, does it?

Her eyes looks fine, but she may have scratched it.Her closed eye...I don't know about that....

Unfortunately Mareks does cause blindness.

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/mareks-disease/

 

[Eggcessive]

The open eye looks like it has red streaks inside the cornea. Does the other eye look the same when you open it? I would keep an eye on them for fading of the color to grey, or change in the pupil size of shape. That can be a sign of Mareks. Blindness in chickens can occur from many things other than Mareks.

In the meantime, make sure that she is close to food and water, and a dog crate inside the coop can be good for this. You can try some Terramycin eye ointment or Vetericyn eye gel into the eye twice a day in case of infection or a peck wound. Make sure that your coop air is fresh, and no ammonia odors which can cause ulcers of the eyes and blindness.