Chicken with irritated eye!

[taurusladee]

Noticed one of our RIR hens last night had her eye shut....it didn't look swollen or pussy, it was watering. I brought her in and washed it with warm water and put some neosporin on it (after I read through a few things!) she wasn't very active last night but this morning I did it again and she is very active and talkative! LOL she is eating and drinking and even snagged a fly in the garage! I didn't notice any wheezing or trouble breathing so I don't think it is respiratory so I don't think it is that, I am thinking she just got pecked or something. Has anyone dealt with this and if so how long do I keep cleaning the eye and what do I look for in case it is something else?

I read about an ointment you can get at the feed store too, should I go ahead and get that or will neosporin do just as good? I told my husband to set up the dog kennel in the garage so we can keep her separate until it gets better!

Thanks for an input and advice! New at the whole "nursing" the chicken thing and til now only had to deal with one that had a cut and it healed up pretty good with just washing it with warm water for a few days.....

 

[dawg53]

Noticed one of our RIR hens last night had her eye shut....it didn't look swollen or pussy, it was watering. I brought her in and washed it with warm water and put some neosporin on it (after I read through a few things!) she wasn't very active last night but this morning I did it again and she is very active and talkative! LOL she is eating and drinking and even snagged a fly in the garage! I didn't notice any wheezing or trouble breathing so I don't think it is respiratory so I don't think it is that, I am thinking she just got pecked or something. Has anyone dealt with this and if so how long do I keep cleaning the eye and what do I look for in case it is something else?

I read about an ointment you can get at the feed store too, should I go ahead and get that or will neosporin do just as good? I told my husband to set up the dog kennel in the garage so we can keep her separate until it gets better!

Thanks for an input and advice! New at the whole "nursing" the chicken thing and til now only had to deal with one that had a cut and it healed up pretty good with just washing it with warm water for a few days.....

I recommend flushing her eye liberally with saline solution rather than using warm water, then use the neosporin. It's possible she may have debris in her eye. Flush as necessary and treat with neosporin.

 

[taurusladee]

Well...she is eating good and drinking...taking her out in the yard and she is active....nothing "oozing" so I am thinking she just got pecked or something...are these all good signs? I think I will get antibiotics just in case but she still won't open the eye....can she survive with just one eye if it doesn't get better?

 

[taurusladee]

Well, her eye didn't make it but nothing else ever happened, she shows no other signs of being sick and she is back out on the "other side" of the coop with a few of her friends, adjusting to life with one eye! I am hoping she will be ok with it, the other birds aren't attacking her or anything. We have a problem with our little rare chick because she keeps jumping on her back! It is driving her nuts! LOL

She is very active and eating and drinking just fine. Did a round of antibiotics in her water just in case, her eye isn't swollen anymore the eyeball just looks like it is gone. It only got a little bit goopy for a few days but I used the gel stuff that I put in her eye and that seemed to stop it.

Going to give her a little more time in the other side of the coop and slowly mix her back in with the birds. The good thing is our little rare one is getting used to the reds and we are keeping her with the injured red and putting a few other birds in there with them so they will all get used to her.