one of my new chicks was being trampled in a brooder that offers abundant space for my 25 chicks. once removed from the flock i saw her eye was swollen shut. the other eye was milky looking and glassy. now both are swollen shut. since being isolated, she is chirping, eating, drinking, and eliminating. what is the problem? i dont want to cull a chick that could be easily helped with medicine. help!
You said it milky looking and glassy...have you tried flushing her eyes with water or cleaning them with a clean damp cloth? I guess you could check the pet supply and farm stores for a opthamological ointment...I am at a loss on this one. I hope one of the old hands can help...good luck with the baby. If s/he is eating drinking and eliminating okay...I would not worry too much unless you cannot deal with the extra time a possibly handicapped baby chick may require.
thanks so much for your advice. i will do so with the hopes the little gal can rejoin her flock. she seems comfortable...for a chicken(?!)
A couple of our babies had crusty eyes. We gave them Terramycian powder (1/4 tsp to 1 pint) for 2 weeks and used Terramycin Ophthalmic ointment in the eyes 2X a day. They are doing good now. Hope this helps.
A really good thing to use is sterile eye flush...NOT contact lense solution though. You can usually find it at a drug store, just make sure you stay away from the contact solution because it can cause problems. You can use a damp cloth and try and soak the crusties away....good luck!