Chicken won’t open her eye

[gerberagirl]

This is Cheddar. Yesterday we had a hawk swoop down on our flock. All of the chickens made it to safety, I checked for injuries and no one appeared to be injured. This morning when my son went to check on them, he found that Cheddar won’t open one of her eyes. There’s no sign of blood or pus. It might be a bit swollen but it’s hard to tell. I’m thinking she may have run into something while fleeing the hawk and am wondering if there is anything we can do for her or anything to look out for. We don’t have access to a vet, so any advice would be helpful.

 

[MarlaMac]

She may still be in shock.

Is she eating/drinking?

Look her over well and make sure she has no hidden injuries.

She might recover better in a warm dark room for a day or two. Or in a quiet separated area of your coop (dog crate draped with a cover) that lets her no worry about others while she is resting.

If you think something is going on with her eyes, you can use a warm compress and see if that helps. You can also put terrymiacin (sp?) on/in the eyes to see if that helps or makes her more comfortable.

 

[gerberagirl]

She may still be in shock.

Is she eating/drinking?

Look her over well and make sure she has no hidden injuries.

She might recover better in a warm dark room for a day or two. Or in a quiet separated area of your coop (dog crate draped with a cover) that lets her no worry about others while she is resting.

If you think something is going on with her eyes, you can use a warm compress and see if that helps. You can also put terrymiacin (sp?) on/in the eyes to see if that helps or makes her more comfortable.

She ate some food off the ground and out of my hand. She is molting and it was cold this morning, so she just wanted to sit and warm up. I’ll check on her during my lunch break and can try the warm compress. Thanks for your suggestions

 

[MarlaMac]

Please do make sure you dry her completely if she remains out in the cold air. I hope she feels better soon.

 

[SkyAJK]

Saline water to clean her eyes. You can make saline water at home - salt and water.

I wish your hen a quick recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

Saline is made by dissolving 1/2 tsp of table salt in an 8 ounce cup of water (or 2 tsp per quart or liter.) Bring to a boil and simmer low for 15 minutes to sterilize. Store in a clean jar.

 

[gerberagirl]

We did the compress and saline drops and she still doesn’t want to open her eye. She will open the eye if she needs to double check her surroundings and then close it again. The color of her iris is more red than the other eye, but the white part is still white. There is no sign of pus or swelling. Should we try the eye ointment?

 

[MarlaMac]

Sorry about no interaction. Christmas and all. I hope your girl is better. I would use the ointment if it were my bird.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would use plain Neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment if you don’t have the terramycin. How does the eye look now? Do you have any pictures?

 

[gerberagirl]

I purchased Veterycin eye ointment, which we started using on Monday. Although she mostly keeps the eye closed, she will now open it at times and is definitely acting like herself again. The eye looks a bit hazy but is not infected and we think she can still see out of it