eyelids on 2 day old chick sealing shut

[soulsong]

Hi all, I am hoping someone might have an idea on what to do here. I have a bantam cochin chick that hatched a 2 days ago and its eyelids are sticking shut. I have wetted them several times with water and opened them, the eyes themselves look normal. but invariably the lids stick back up again. there is no obvious fluid or "eyesand" or pus or anything of that nature.
I am wondering if I should try (human) lubricating eyedrops or vaseline or something other than water?? Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks!

 

[Denninmi]

I suppose it's possible it has a birth defect and doesn't have normal tearducts to produce tears to lubricate the eye. Or it might have some kind of infection starting in the eyes. Hard to say.

I am sure you could use "liquid tears" to help lubricate the eyes. They are just normal saline solution. Some brands also have a thickening agent to make them stay in a little longer -- a little bit "slimy" looking at first, but these actually do a better job soothing they eyes in the long run. I use these on myself at times.

Liquid Tears shouldn't hurt anything, they're very inert. If there is an infection starting, they might even help to wash out the eyes a bit.

 

[soulsong]

Thank You!
I have some Refresh Plus samples that I will try.
Hopefully that will help!

 

[saylernsaxonsmom]

I had a hatchery chick that came out of the box with a crusty eye. Being a first timer, I read about eye issues on BYC. One thread suggested using a tea compress. One suggested a saline wash. Another mentioned using Neosporin in the eye. Another person used medicated chick feed. I tried them all... he's doing fine now. I never figured out the cause. I put him with another injured chickie and tried to protect the other chicks in case it was a contagious infection. It cleared up after the combo of treatments. The little injured girl never caught it.

Here's what I did...(again, I'm new! Someone with more experience may have a better plan.)
1. Saline...watch to see if any change.
2. Tea compress...watch to see if any change.
3. Continue with tea treatment a few times....watch and see.
4. Use a dab of Neosporin....watch and see. (This freaked me out, I didn't like the idea of putting it in the eye! I did an internet search and decided to give it a try.)
5. Start medicated chick starter.

After a bit of doing, the eye was much better. The crust wasn't returning, the eye was clear, etc.

I hope this helps...good luck!

 

[Camelot Farms]

Just went through this with a Bantam Wyandotte. I just kept cleaning it with plain old warm water. It took 2 days and about 30 Qtips (lol) to get him back on track. He is fine now and running around like a maniac.