EDIT: Chicken has messed up eyes?

[Sgsf]

One eye is open, but it looks like the skin that covers the eye is out of place, and the other eye the baby chick can barely open it. It acts fine though. It chirps loud, eats and drinks. Is this bad news?

 

[oesdog]

Well on the possitive side her eye is open on one side and she may have some limited vision in that eye.
Chickens do not use their eyes like us - they use them seperately. The right for preditors and the left for food.

The issue here is if she is blind - how are you going to deal with that issue? There are loads of folk on the BYC with blind and disabled birds who can give you loads of help and advice. She will need special care and help to find food and be a part of a small placid group of hens. She probably wont be able to cope in a big group and will not be able to fight for food. She could be bullied and pecked at and starve because she wont get to food before the others. You may need to think on how to get round these issues. She may need only a small pen with one or two other hens for company and you will have to hand feed her and put food in different parts of the pen so she can get hers. You will need to put the food in the same places so she can find it as chickens cannot smell...

I am trying to encourage you as there is hope and life worth living with blindness. - of course you must think on genetics and NOT breed her. You don;t want to pass this on to chicks.

Also if you feel it would be too hard to cope - then ask if someone else who has the time and knowledge to take her on. If you can;t find that for her and you don;t have what you need to care for her then you will need to think on culling. ( I personally don;t think blindness is a reason to cull as plenty of birds do very well blind.) It is wether you can give her that care or not that is the cull issue. It takes a great deal of work and there is nothing wrong with that choice if you need to make it for the good of your flock. This Chick will always need special care and therefor she will be more a PET than anything else!!! Its a hard place to have to make these dicisions! But you have to do what is right for you and your flock.

Anyhow leave her for now you may be surprised at how she gets on. Make sure you help her find water and food though and that the others don;t hurt her.

Oesdog - good luck, and remember there are loads of BYC folk who have birds just like yours!!!!!!! Your NOT alone!!!!

 

[Sgsf]

I cannot do special treatment, or find someone to take care of her, or cull her. One eye seems fine, but the other one is closed. If I rub at towl on the eye, it opens up a little bit. And she opened it by herself a little bit, but usually goes back closed. May the chick have sticky eyes or something?

 

[Sgsf]

I found this quote, which MAY be hope:

Chicks’ eyes will open on the seventh day after hatching. The eyelids open gradually and for a day or so the chicks peer out through slitted lids.

Is this true? Because the chick is about 3 days. But the other chicks have their eyes opened.

Never mind.....thats for birds....

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Is this true? Because the chick is about 3 days. But the other chicks have their eyes opened.

Not true of chicken chicks... maybe parrot chicks though.

Ff you crack open a chick at day 18 before hatch (thus killing it) it's eyes will open up.

Sounds like your bird has a deformity.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
She may have an infection - they can get conjunctivitus. - If you cannot give special treatment , or get someone else to help you or cull if needs be - then you only have one option if your chick is suffering TAKE HER TO THE VET!!!!! The vet will give you ointment to put in her eyes. Please don;t keep rubbing it with a towel you can irritate it and cause more infection!!!!!!! Wash the eye gently with a baby cotton wool ball. ALWAYS work away from the good eye so you don;t pass infection from one eye to another.

Please be mindfull of the care chickens do need in general - you sound like you are new to chickens. there are loads of folk here who will help but you must listen to advice.
It sounds like your wee chick just has an infection. - give her time to heal and stop rubbing the eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Towels are not good as they are rough and hold loads of bacteria.

Oesdog

 

[Sgsf]

The chick can find the mother and other chicks, and I think I saw it eating and drinking. I will just let it live it's life and grow up with the other chicks. So you say there is a possibility that the chicks eye will get better?

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
YES - it probably just has an infection - you did kind of put it across that it was a lot worse in your first post. There are chicks hatched out on BYC that litterally DON'T HAVE ANY EYES AT ALL!!!!!! Some folk have kept them and they have done very well

- but your situation is much more possitive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The chick should do ok. I had a chick with a really bad eye infection. It got better really fast once I got ointment from the vet. - it was conjunctivitus. My chick got a wee bit of hay in her eye and it caused an infection. She is now 19 weeks old and her eyes are fine. SO STOP panicking chicks are much hardier than you think!!!!!!!

Oesdog

 

[Sgsf]

But my parents will think I'm CRAZY to try and take a chick up to the vet.