Cloudy eyed rooster

[10HensAndARooster]

A week ago my young rooster suffered a major blow to his eyes by a sliding door. Since then, I’ve washed his eyes out with a homemade saline solution three times a day, and have put terramycin on two times a day. His right eye seems to be doing okayish, but his left pupil has been dilated/cloudy. I know he hurts and that it’ll take awhile for any bruising to go away, but I’m wondering if he’s ever going to be able to see out of that eye again or if the pupil will ever go back down. I’ve been keeping him in a dark, cool place with plenty of food and water (he is able to find the food bowl, though his depth perception is off). He was a spunky little guy with a big personality and this accident has completely stripped him of that. Any information or advice would be helpful!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Cloudy eye generally means blindness in my experiences.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Can you post a picture of his eye?
@Hen Pen Jem @KikisGirls

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry about your rooster. So he had a head injury, basically? It could be his pupil is dilated due to a head injury or the eye injury. I don’t know why the eye is cloudy though since I am not a vet. Possibly he has a cataract that was caused by the trauma to his eye. A vet, if you could see one, might be able to tell. Medicated specialty eyedrops would be something they could also prescribe to treat that. The saline and Terramycin should help to prevent drying out and infection, but might not be enough. I really don’t know if most vets could treat that though, and it would be rather expensive, especially since he might be blind in that eye no matter what is done.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

So sorry to hear about your rooster.

It sounds like he suffered a concussion injury. This is probably why his pupil is dilated. The cloudiness is physical injury to the eye.

You are already doing the best for him, by caring for his eye injury with the saline and Terramycin ointment. You should be able to just continue with the ointment, the saline isn't necessary anymore.

He may need an oral or IM antibiotic, if he gets a secondary infection. Congested lungs is common after this kind of trauma. So be vigilant, symptoms are sleeping a lot, low appetite, puffed feathers. Keep him comfortable and out of drafts. He will not do well in the coop, if it is cold at night where you live.

Rest is about the best thing for concussions. Keep him confined for a few weeks. It will take a long time to heal from this. Most likely at least 8 to 10 weeks, more or less. The first two to three weeks are crucial. He most likely, sustained injury to the brain as well, expect a change in his personality. This is normal after a severe concussion.

Also, just so you know, sudden death can happen.

Do not administer any type of pain relievers. Instead some cooked eggs, and fresh greens with fruit. The cholesterol in the eggs may help heal the brain injury.

He is young, so may heal from this. But, he may have only partial vision in the one bad eye. He's got a lot of healing to do.

Chickens are remarkable creatures, they are always surprising me. Give him some time, and he may surprise you too.

These are my thoughts on your rooster's issue. I hope I have been helpful.

God Bless