eye injury

[Wickischickies]

We had a very windy day two days ago and I think my hen got dirt in one of her eyes. The last time this happened I used Visine to wash her eye out and was able to get the dirt out. This time she will not let me hold her and put the drops in. (She must have remembered the last time we did this.) She is hard to catch and fights me while I'm trying to hold her. I really don't want to tie her feet and wings so I can rinse her eye. Since I can't get her under control to put drops in can I put her face under the facet to rinse out the eye or am I stuck tying her up?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you wrap her in a towel and pour some saline or flush out the eye with saline and a needleless syringe or turkey baster? You can buy saline for nasal or eye wash, and also make your own. Here is a recipe for home made normal saline: https://suite.io/kathy-quan/64b22y

 

[Sarevan]

I wrap mine up in an old towel when I have to do anything around the head. Just don't wrap so tight you interfer with breathing. Sticking her head under a faucet could have her aspirate water throgh nostrils or mouth, they can't control breathing like we do.

Otherwise I agree with Eggcessive.

 

[Wickischickies]

I took your advise and wrapped her in a towel. I was able to use visine and rinse her eye out. It was a small wood chip that got in her eye during the windy day. She is opening her eye now, and using it. I'm going to keep using the visine for a couple more days because I'm pretty sure her eye was scratched by the piece of wood. Today it was hard to figure out which hen had the sore eye so I could do the drops. I should have marked her leg when I started the treatment.

 

[Eggcessive]

Visine eye drops are really not meant to use for eye injuries. They contain drugs that cause vasoconstriction of the blood vessels of the eyes--that what "gets the red out." My eye doctor told me that those are harmful to the eyes, or use as a lubricant or for injuries. It needs to be an eye wash or an antibiotic ointment such as neosporin or terramycin in case there is infection. I'm glad to hear that you found the cause of her problem, though.

 

[Wickischickies]

Thank you for the tip. I was using the dry eye relief, Natural Tears Formula. I thought that one would be okay, because it is the only one that doesn't burn my eyes. It made mine feel better, so I got our chickens the same. I'll look for an eye rinse when I'm at the store again. We (us and the chickens) get dirt in the eyes every time we have a really windy day. My son ruined his contacts the same day our hen got the wood chip in her eye.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the tip. I was using the dry eye relief, Natural Tears Formula. I thought that one would be okay, because it is the only one that doesn't burn my eyes. It made mine feel better, so I got our chickens the same. I'll look for an eye rinse when I'm at the store again. We (us and the chickens) get dirt in the eyes every time we have a really windy day. My son ruined his contacts the same day our hen got the wood chip in her eye.

It sounds like you all need goggles, LOL. That would make a cute calender photo of a chicken with little goggles, for the BYC annual calendar. After reading the ingredients, I believe your eye drops are safe to use. If there are any signs of drainage or infection, antibiotic ointment may be better. I looked up other visine products instead, but here are the ingredients in yours:

Active ingredients

Glycerin 0.2% - Lubricant
Hypromellose 0.2% - Lubricant
Polyethylene glycol 400 1% - Lubricant

Inactive ingredients

ascorbic acid, benzalkonium chloride, boric acid, dextrose, disodium phosphate, glycine, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, purified water, sodium borate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sodium lactate

 

[Wickischickies]

lol, goggles would be great out here, we have a very long driveway made of sand. Every windy day we watch the sand swirl. Thanks for looking up the type of visine I'm using. Her eye was puffy yesterday so I started the Neosporin. She is still in with the rest of the flock, they are not bothering her and she is eating, drinking normally. I don't want to move her unless they start pecking her or her usual habits changed. I'm afraid it will upset the flock order.

 

[Wickischickies]

I'm so excited, she did not lose the eye and it is back to normal!!!! Thank you Eggcessive for your advice. My husband is going to replace the nesting box roof this weekend. He thinks it came from the roof after inspecting the coop. He asked me what the **** I did to the roof. I told him I have no clue how the roof got broke.

I had broke one of the hinges last winter opening it without clearing 18 inches of snow off first. No way am I telling him that!

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for the update, and I'm glad she is all back to normal.