Hen with swollen eye. What to use??

[SandyNest]

Yesterday I went out to my chicken coop and noticed one of my hens has a swollen eye....totally swollen shut. It does not have any marks on it, no weeping, or seepage, just swollen. This morning I checked on her and it has gone down somewhat. It is open slightly, but looks a little weepy. She ate a bit out of my hand (scratch feed) and when I left to get water, she had gotten down and was eating a little with the other chickens. I brought her into the house and put in a small cage with sawdust shavings and feed and water. She drank some water and looks fairly content. I am wondering what I should put on her eye to perhaps help, or should I just let it go for a bit and see what happens. I will try to get a picture on later if I can manage it.

I'm going nowhere for today, since we are under a winter storm warning and the whiteouts are bad, but if there is something in my household I can use to help her, I would do what I can. Thanks for any help.

 

[ChickLuver]

Do you have anything for pink eye? When you can get to the feed store......get terramycin ointment. Even if you have some saline drops to wash out her eye. If not take a warm wet rag and gently wipe her eye. Let the heat help her. She could have an infection or something in her eye. Be carefull with the sawdust and shavings....

 

[Laskaland]

If you have the terramycin cream, go with that, with warm washcloths if she will sit on your lap. Neosporin would work too, but just avoid the actual eyeball. Do you have paper towels you could put on top of the shavings? Depending on the size of the shavings they might irritate her... Do you have vitamin to put in her water?

Good luck
Christina

 

[SandyNest]

I could cover the shavings with paper towel, or I also have a bit of clean straw, if that would be better.

No terramycin at the moment, but if the weather lets up, I will get some for the medicine kit. I will try the warm washcloth and a little neosporin around the eye. She does at least seem more comfortable inside for now and she has eaten and drank this morning.

Thank you for your help and I appreciate any suggestions and learning more on chicken care.

 

[SandyNest]

UPDATE: Well, it looks like I am in for more than what I thought. After I went outside today to check on my flock and to empty the quickly freezing water, it appears that I have more than 1 hen with an eye problem. I now have 2 and some chickens that are sneezing. After reading through other posts, I'm convinced I have more going on that what I thought. Apparently there are diseases that do not go away, but now I'm wondering that since my flock (of about 12) have been all together for the last 2 months if there's really much I can do about it, even if I were to cull the whole flock.

I will continue reading other posts, but here's what I have going and would appreciate any comments or links to other posts that might help.

I introduced new pullets to my slightly older chickens (first group was started in April, and new pullets added in November after being quarantined for 3+ weeks). All seemed well, but then my daughter started noticing some slight sneezing about end of November. Now I have sneezing going around the flock. The weather is absolutely brutal with below 0 windchills and freezing temperatures. They have been relocated to their coop and they seem mostly comfortable. I have wood shavings on the floor and in the nest boxes.

I have 2 of the older pullets....one is standard sized, mixed-run and the other is a silkie, separated in a cage in my basement. The standard was the one I noticed first with the swollen eye. I noticed she had very watery stool with dark green "bb" like solids. The silkie I just brought in this afternoon with a weepy eye and she looks a bit disheveled, she also has some mild sneezing. They both were eating and drinking today. My daughter gave them both some yogurt and they seem quite comfortable together in their little pen.

I guess for now, I'll start some basic treatments, but will have to look more into the ramifications of a disease that will always be carried (MS?). If these diseases stay in the soil, and are nearly impossible to get rid of, I don't know what good it will do to cull my birds. I live in an area where there are lots of wild birds around, including songbirds, crows, turkeys, hawks and owls. My chicken's run actually extends into the wooded area in back of my barn, so some type of exposure to wildlife is highly likely. Since my newer birds seemed healthy for a solid 3 weeks, I suppose it can be as likely that this disease was contracted from wild birds??

So, now it seems that I am rambling and will have lots of thoughts going around in my head when I go to bed tonight.

Any impressions from others would be heartily appreciated.