Hen has injured eye, what can I do?

[Eggcessive]

You can use up to 800 mg of the Terramycin (oxytet) in a gallon of water for 7 days. You can also instead give a smaller amount in a drench several times a day. Let me see if I can find a dosage for that.

 

[Eggcessive]

After reading a bit, I think you can give a chicken 25 mg a day of the Terramycin. So you could dissolve a tablet in 10 ml of water, and each ml would equal 25 mg which could be given over a day. Shake it up, since it probably would settle out.

 

[onthefarmnj]

ok that makes sense...I got to a similar number but in a different way...I read to dissolve 200-400 mg in a gallon of drinking water. Assuming a chicken drinks about 2 pints of water a day (read that online too) that would equate to 25-50 mg /day.

Thank you again!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would keep trying to get the pus out of her sinuses. Let us know how she does on the antibiotic. Toss her eggs for 14 days after discontinuing the Terramycin because of residue.

 

[onthefarmnj]

I will keep trying! And yes will toss eggs - if she lays any more before winter She was my only layer and she hasn't laid since her eye swelled up.

Will keep you posted. Sure appreciate all your input!

 

[onthefarmnj]

Today my hen is drinking drinking drinking. I am assuming this is a bad sign. I have her isolated, and at least her drinking will assure that she is getting the antibiotics in her water.

I'm not giving up, but I'm wondering whether her continuous drinking makes her recovery unlikely? Shockingly, she did lay an egg yesterday.

 

[Eggcessive]

Drinking is good, and should make sure that she is getting plenty of the medicine. Can you check her crop, to feel what it feels like—empty and flat, full with food, hard, doughy, or puffy/boggy? Check it first thing in the morning before she has eaten anything. Crop impaction or sour crop might be a cause for excessive drinking.

 

[onthefarmnj]

I will check her crop tomorrow morning. Glad to hear drinking is good!

 

[onthefarmnj]

ok it's now been 6 days on the terramycin antibiotic and I don't see any improvement. If anything, her eye looks worse. I have not been able to get much pus out of it. The tissue swelling seems too extreme to extrude the pus. She also has a rattle. Her crop seems normal.

She is not eating much, but she will eat bread (that's how I give her the antibiotic). She will not eat scrambled eggs or blueberries.

I am thinking as a "Hail Mary" of giving her a shot of penicillin. I don't know what else to do. Would appreciate any recommendations!