I thought I would post this here because when I was looking for information on what was wrong with my little baby (5 weeks old), I searched for days and had to look at cat pictures to figure it out.
Saturday before last I heard distress peeps and a chick running to the corners of the tent (I use it as my brooder, if you do this be sure to trim all threads, and keep checking for them) I reached in thinking it was the little red frizzle that had been picked on a bit. To my surprise, it was my girl Crevecoeur. I looked to see what was the matter and, "Your eyes look like a bugs!"
They were both enlarged, left eye larger than the right, and I guessed she'd been pecked by another chick. She has vision in the right eye, is eating and pooping well, and a lot. I waited to see if the swelling went down by next morning. No dice. So I started terramycin (got at Tractor Supply Company, it is about $15 a tube). It is hard holding a chick trying to get that gel in the eye, so in hindsight I probably didn't get enough in the eye.
FF to Thursday, no change in eye, except now there is a bit of pus in the crack of her eye lids. Worried that the med isn't working (I thought they were supposed to work in a few days)
Friday, left eye is way larger, alarmingly so. When she opens it I could really see it looked liquid filled. Right eye larger as well, and still cloudy, but she can still see a bit, still eating really well. Moves around slow and careful.
I search and search...Most stuff is about bubbly eyes, or swollen head, or eye worms. I finally find on here a thread about a chicken that had glaucoma, and the picture shows the eye looking like my little Buggaboo's. It is SO frustrating how many threads never conclude, please come back and tell us WHAT your chicken had! The chicken had been brought to a vet school, "She'd had Glaucoma" I guessed from the "had that the hen had been put down.
I looked to see what could be done, drops or surgery (yikes). I called the vet to see if they could give me something over the counter, no luck, needed prescription. This was about 20 min before they closed (I found out late in the day), and the chicken Dr. was booked up all tomorrow, being the only Dr. in (Memorial holiday weekend). I asked if I came in right then if Dr. could see her, and receptionist said yes .
"What is your chicken's name?"
Me:"Uhhhh, I haven't named her yet...ummm...Buggaboo."
I didn't even change out of my chicken clothes or put on makeup before I left, just grabbed wallet, keys and chick! (Chino Valley Animal Hospital, Dr. Siens is the chicken Dr. She is a great vet, really caring and sensitive, she has chickens herself. Helped me with the 6 yo Australorp that got sick and we had to put down after 5 weeks of nursing. I was so happy she was the one there.)
I only waited about 5 min. Dr. Siens did an eye pressure test, and I think she said the left eye pressure was 32, and the right eye was 12 (which I think is probably still high). She took some of the pus that had accumulated and is going to send it for testing. Said yes, glaucoma. Options, try eye drops and antibiotics to see if it brings the swelling down, or surgery. Removing the eye is $600 - $700 ish, she said she could probably do both eyes for that, but they said they were estimating high, so there wouldn't be any " and add this much more..." She didn't want to take one eye out and then have to take the other too, so we are waiting to see. Gave me a script for two things, and gave me antibiotic drops. (It is really hard to find hypertonic Saline 2%, the third pharmacy had it, owner said it doesn't move much. $25 a bottle. Ouch.)
I have been doing the drops for two and a half days now, they are every 12 hours, 15 minutes between drops. With her crest it is hard to get them in there at times. I think her left eye is looking a bit better, and the right, I am not sure. I have had to take pus out each time.
This is the cockerel Crevecoeur I have as an example of what the eye is supposed to look like:
Here is Buggaboo 5/25/2019:
5/26/12019 AM:
The eye crud before I cleaned it:
I really hope the drops work, I can't afford the eye surgery. If they eventually have to take both eyes anyways, I know there are special needs chickens that get along just fine (more power to them), but I am of the mind what kind of life is that for a chicken. My husband and I already nursed one chicken for 5 weeks that couldn't see, and it was about impossible to get her to eat anything, I am not confident in my ability to tube feed.
Crevecoeurs are a crested chicken, and on the critical list, meaning there are about 500 breeding pairs, and 5 or less places breeding them (50 or more chickens to count). I wasn't planning on getting them but the Tractor Supply Company in Flagstaff, AZ had them, and there was a buy one get one deal that day only (I was in town for another reason). My Buggaboo was a pasty butt when I picked her out, and I kept her instead of picking another, because I didn't want her to stay in that tub.
Saturday before last I heard distress peeps and a chick running to the corners of the tent (I use it as my brooder, if you do this be sure to trim all threads, and keep checking for them) I reached in thinking it was the little red frizzle that had been picked on a bit. To my surprise, it was my girl Crevecoeur. I looked to see what was the matter and, "Your eyes look like a bugs!"
They were both enlarged, left eye larger than the right, and I guessed she'd been pecked by another chick. She has vision in the right eye, is eating and pooping well, and a lot. I waited to see if the swelling went down by next morning. No dice. So I started terramycin (got at Tractor Supply Company, it is about $15 a tube). It is hard holding a chick trying to get that gel in the eye, so in hindsight I probably didn't get enough in the eye.
FF to Thursday, no change in eye, except now there is a bit of pus in the crack of her eye lids. Worried that the med isn't working (I thought they were supposed to work in a few days)
Friday, left eye is way larger, alarmingly so. When she opens it I could really see it looked liquid filled. Right eye larger as well, and still cloudy, but she can still see a bit, still eating really well. Moves around slow and careful.
I search and search...Most stuff is about bubbly eyes, or swollen head, or eye worms. I finally find on here a thread about a chicken that had glaucoma, and the picture shows the eye looking like my little Buggaboo's. It is SO frustrating how many threads never conclude, please come back and tell us WHAT your chicken had! The chicken had been brought to a vet school, "She'd had Glaucoma" I guessed from the "had that the hen had been put down.
I looked to see what could be done, drops or surgery (yikes). I called the vet to see if they could give me something over the counter, no luck, needed prescription. This was about 20 min before they closed (I found out late in the day), and the chicken Dr. was booked up all tomorrow, being the only Dr. in (Memorial holiday weekend). I asked if I came in right then if Dr. could see her, and receptionist said yes .
"What is your chicken's name?"
Me:"Uhhhh, I haven't named her yet...ummm...Buggaboo."
I didn't even change out of my chicken clothes or put on makeup before I left, just grabbed wallet, keys and chick! (Chino Valley Animal Hospital, Dr. Siens is the chicken Dr. She is a great vet, really caring and sensitive, she has chickens herself. Helped me with the 6 yo Australorp that got sick and we had to put down after 5 weeks of nursing. I was so happy she was the one there.)
I only waited about 5 min. Dr. Siens did an eye pressure test, and I think she said the left eye pressure was 32, and the right eye was 12 (which I think is probably still high). She took some of the pus that had accumulated and is going to send it for testing. Said yes, glaucoma. Options, try eye drops and antibiotics to see if it brings the swelling down, or surgery. Removing the eye is $600 - $700 ish, she said she could probably do both eyes for that, but they said they were estimating high, so there wouldn't be any " and add this much more..." She didn't want to take one eye out and then have to take the other too, so we are waiting to see. Gave me a script for two things, and gave me antibiotic drops. (It is really hard to find hypertonic Saline 2%, the third pharmacy had it, owner said it doesn't move much. $25 a bottle. Ouch.)
I have been doing the drops for two and a half days now, they are every 12 hours, 15 minutes between drops. With her crest it is hard to get them in there at times. I think her left eye is looking a bit better, and the right, I am not sure. I have had to take pus out each time.
This is the cockerel Crevecoeur I have as an example of what the eye is supposed to look like:
Here is Buggaboo 5/25/2019:
5/26/12019 AM:
The eye crud before I cleaned it:
I really hope the drops work, I can't afford the eye surgery. If they eventually have to take both eyes anyways, I know there are special needs chickens that get along just fine (more power to them), but I am of the mind what kind of life is that for a chicken. My husband and I already nursed one chicken for 5 weeks that couldn't see, and it was about impossible to get her to eat anything, I am not confident in my ability to tube feed.
Crevecoeurs are a crested chicken, and on the critical list, meaning there are about 500 breeding pairs, and 5 or less places breeding them (50 or more chickens to count). I wasn't planning on getting them but the Tractor Supply Company in Flagstaff, AZ had them, and there was a buy one get one deal that day only (I was in town for another reason). My Buggaboo was a pasty butt when I picked her out, and I kept her instead of picking another, because I didn't want her to stay in that tub.
