Help! Hen with eye swollen shut. Other eye is weepy with clear liquid. What should I do?

[Apatterson]

One of my Buff hens (two years old) wouldn't come out of the hen house this morning and was looking a little unbalanced (not sure if that was because it was dark in the house or the eye was shut). When I picked her up I noticed one eye way shut (it didn't seem swollen) and the other was weepy (clear). This is the first morning I've seen her like this.
I have not seen any others in my flock like this - but we did just take on a dozen from a friend.
There are no signs of injury that I can find. As far as I know, she's been fine until this morning.
I rinsed the eye and opened the lid for her and rinsed the other eye.
We have backyard birds just for the fun of it but I'm worried we may have something contagious! Should I separate her? We're kind of remote and have lots of small children, so a quick trip to the feed store can't happen until tomorrow! Any home remedies until then?
We have straw bedding~

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have not seen any others in my flock like this - but we did just take on a dozen from a friend.

How long have you had the "new" chickens?
Were the new birds quarantined?
Do you have photos of your hen's eyes?

I would watch the rest of your original flock for similar symptoms. It could be coincidental with new birds on the property, but it sounds like your hen has the makings of respiratory illness. Flushing the eye like you did was a good idea. You can apply plain neosporin to the eye to see if that helps. You can also use an ophthalmic eye like Terramycin. If symptoms continue, then it would be a good idea, next trip to the feed store to pick up some Tylan50.

You can separate her if you wish, it sounds like she needs a bit of extra care to see that she is eating/drinking. If she has contracted a respiratory illness, all the others have been exposed. Watch for other symptoms like coughing, sneezing, runny nose, wheezing, etc. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Apatterson]

Thank you so much. I will try to get a picture taken tomorrow. She seems ok but the red area around her eye seems puffy to me. All other birds seem ok. I am keeping a close eye on them and the 20 chicks and 2 turkeys as well!