Eye Closed On One Side

[cluckcluckkim]

Hello. I have been out of the country for 3 weeks and came back to an issue with one of my 15 chickens. She is a year old, I’m not sure what she is (hatchery “rare breed” mix). She has always been a good layer and easy bird. I came home to one of her eyes swollen shut and hair missing on one side of her face and she’s very skinny. She was in the extra coop by herself, which isn’t like her at all. She doesn’t appear to have any respiratory distress, her poops are normal and she’s eating a little. I treat with Corin every quarter, use diatomaceous earth at the first of every month, apple cider in their water and First Saturday lime in the coop once a month. They are fed Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve and get mealworms for snacks. The rest of the flock seems fine (most are molting and look rough - light combs but other than that everyone seems okay). I have this bird separated but am concerned what this is. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Could you try and open her closed eye and get a photo of it? @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock can help you better

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Hello. I have been out of the country for 3 weeks and came back to an issue with one of my 15 chickens. She is a year old, I’m not sure what she is (hatchery “rare breed” mix). She has always been a good layer and easy bird. I came home to one of her eyes swollen shut and hair missing on one side of her face and she’s very skinny. She was in the extra coop by herself, which isn’t like her at all. She doesn’t appear to have any respiratory distress, her poops are normal and she’s eating a little. I treat with Corin every quarter, use diatomaceous earth at the first of every month, apple cider in their water and First Saturday lime in the coop once a month. They are fed Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve and get mealworms for snacks. The rest of the flock seems fine (most are molting and look rough - light combs but other than that everyone seems okay). I have this bird separated but am concerned what this is. Any advice is appreciated. View attachment 3677897

Warm saline to try and loosen whatever is closing the eye gently rub it it should open pretty easily then take more pics. It might be a peck wound or scraped against some thing.

 

[cluckcluckkim]

Could you try and open her closed eye and get a photo of it? @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock can help you better

 

[cluckcluckkim]

Phew - that wasn’t easy lol

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Right where I circled looks like a peck mark maybe. did you see it while taking pics?

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like she was attacked by her flock, peck wound, or was fighting. I was worried that you could not get the eye open, but I would flush it twice a day with saline or eye wash, then apply a small dab of Terramycin eye ointment or plain Neosporin after.The ointment can also be applied to her face where the wounds are. I would watch the flock behavior with her, to see if she is being bullied.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Keep us updated on her eye. Look for signs of eye bulging in the next few weeks.

 

[cluckcluckkim]

Thank you! I flushed it with Vetericyn anti microbial eye wash and applied the eye gel to it as well. Hopefully that’s all it is. I do have some bully hens and according to my cameras in the hen house, the pet sitter let them out much later than I do so there could have been some fighting going on if they were confined longer than usuaL My Golden Cuckoo Marans can be bullies but usually they have more room to get away from each other.

 

[cluckcluckkim]

Update. I think something else is going on here. No improvement with the eye. She’s not eating at all now and isn’t standing on her own. She’s definitely dying and I’m super worried this is something else. The rest of my flock is fine for now.