Eyes Swollen Shut?

[cheeps]

I found my EE bantam hen yesterday morning in the back of the coop away from the others. Both eyes seemed to be swollen shut. So, I seperated her, thinking she had been attacked. She can open her eyes, which she does every once in a while, like when something scares her. But most of the time she keeps them shut. They just look swollen though. She's also pale, and lethargic, but I think she's still eating and drinking some. Any thoughts?

An old farmer told my fiancee she has a cold. This sounds silly, but hey, you never know with these birds!!

 

[Judy]

Read here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=9241

You should be able to get some antibiotic ophthalmic ointment at the feed store and treat the eyes.

 

[M@M@2four]

Get terramycin ointment--you can but this at TSC. Also, check her very closely for mites--the area around where her eyes are swollen shut. If you see mites, dust her with Sevin Dust(walmart) or Adam's flea and tick spray(walmart) as well as treat her eyes with the cream. See if this helps!

 

[cheeps]

Thanks for the info. Just ran outside to check on her, and sure enough, after close inspection, I saw a mite on her eye.

So after the ointment and the sevin dust, what then? Do I need to treat everyone? Why would it just do this to her, not to the others? I'm still a newb at this.

 

[Judy]

You need to treat everyone, and the coop as well. And you need to retreat the chickens in about two weeks as the first treatment will kill the bugs but not their eggs, which will hatch.

There is lots of info on the forum about mites and lice. Here is one thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=123057

I do hope the problem is mites/lice and there is no respiratory disease going on.

 

[cheeps]

She doesn't seem to have any resp. issues. I've listened to her breathe and stuff. I'll be sure to keep her seperate for a while though just in case. I feel so bad for her!