Help! Not sure if my chicken is sick!

[jomar2468]

I am a first time chicken owner and have come across my first chicken that is showing signs of possible sickness in some fashion. She is approximately 6 months old weighing 4-5 lbs. I came home from work to let them free range for a while and found her laying down in the coop. I noticed she had one eye closed and was tilting her head. When I opened the door she got up and went out with the rest of the hens w/ her eye shut. She has opened her eye periodically, and the other hens were picking on her(she has been at the bottom of pecking order from the start and I have had them 30 days.) Did see her poop and looked very normal. We did put some bacytracin-neomicin poly mykin drops in her eye and the eye does look reddish in color compared to the other eye. I would like to treat her myself and would like to administer antiobiotics and have seperated her from the rest of the flock. The coop is a dirt run with a house and a covered area below the house. They are in there coop most of the day and alowed to free range approximately 2-3 hours a day. Could someone tell me what I should give her even if its precautionary?

 

[Shaun]

It's good that you've separated her. I would give her some vitamin/electrolyte solution in her water, and maybe a little chopped up scrambled egg as a treat. If you think she might be cool, if her feathers are ruffled, and she's in a big enough area that she can pick her own area of comfort, a small heat lamp in one corner would be good so she can find her own zone, I've found when chickens don't feel well, they often want some extra heat.

As for the eye, she could have injured it, it happens. If she was already in the lower part of the pecking order, the birds can be ruthless!

Good luck

 

[PunkinPeep]

It sounds like she may have gotten a little peck in the eye that just needs a little time to heal up.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[chickenzoo]

How is her weight? Can you feel a breast bone? Is she pale at all in the face? Any bugs on her? If not, then she is probably ok, but keep an eye on her as worms, parasites, lice, mites can weaken a bird fairly quickly.