eye injury/illness in 3 week old banty chick

[ajablu]

My daughter has a 3 week old banty chick that has just started with a runny, sticky eye . It looks sore and red around it. The chick is still eating and drinking but seems as if she is shaking a bit and looks a bit ruffled and more quiet. We are hoping it is an injury that can be treated rather than a contagious type of illness. The other chicks in with it look ok so far. They are from an order of hatchery chicks and are in a room away from any other birds. We are careful to wash hands well when coming in from handling the grown birds.
What can you use to treat an eye in a chick?
I am going to search as well but would great appreciate any help.

 

[silkiechicken]

All I can think of is make sure nothing is in the eye keeping it irritated, including feathers that may be growing at funky angles, and perhaps see if you can find antibiotic eye ointment if it looks like an injury. Since it is just one chick and one eye, my guess is an injury causing the whole chick to be distressed. If it was an illness, it would likely be symmetrical and on other birds.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

The ointment to use is called terramycin. You can get it from a feed store or a vet. Get you some saline solution and rince the eye out with that first and then apply the ointent two or three times a day. This should take care of your problem. Your problem could have come from another chick pecking it in the eye. I've had that happen several times. Hope this helps.

 

[ajablu]

Thank you Silkiechicken and Chilling in Muscadine. I did have Terramycin here in case one of the dogs gets an eye injury until we can get to the vet. I didn't know if this could be used for a chicken. We examined her very closely and my daughter was able to see what appeared to be a small sliver of a shaving or feather and pulled it out. We used some ointment and she seems better.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Good deal then!