Hen keeping one eye shut - can't see anything wrong - any advice?

[birdmomma]

I tried opening the eye - she let me easily catch her which isn't normal, so I don't think she's feeling that great. We had a hawk attack which took out one of her sisters a few days before, but I didn't notice any issues like this the next day, so I'm thinking she got some dust in it or something?

 

[CMV]

Probably. Eye injuries in chickens are pretty common. Monitor her for signs of infection. Try to flush the eye out with some saline (if she'll let you). After you flush the eye you can put some Neosporin (no -caine ingredients) in the eye to keep it lubricated and help to heal whatever issue she is having with it. If you happen to have any terramycin eye ointment (that is not past its expiration date) around from any past human/pet eye ailments, you can use that instead. Either one will work.

Good luck.

 

[birdmomma]

Thanks!

 

[birdmomma]

So I've had her penned up for the past 24 hours and my vet friend dropped by in the afternoon and looked at her - she thought that she probably had something under the eyelid and that it would work its way out. However, this morning, though the hen has the lid open, her eye is looking white - could she have lost the vision in the eye? Will she be able to fend for herself if she only has one eye? She's eating and drinking a little, but definitely isn't normal - there's not that much poop.

So the big question comes down to - if I need to cull her (rather than letting her starve to death or be a sitting target for a hawk) what's the most humane way to do this - or should I just sit it out and see if it improves?

 

[stoopid]

I have a roo that got caught in the compost bin and is blind in that eye.
He gets along just fine. Bad pic, but you can see the difference.

 

[johnson215]

oh poor little thing, i have an injured buff orp that escaped a fox attack, her little back got beat up but she seems to be healing and walking okay but i feel so bad for her she is a favorite. maybe i should put some medicine on it. i'm just going to watch and see how she does.. good luck with your little hen hope she heals...