Hen's Face/Eye is Swollen Up!!! Help!!!

[TwinsLoveChicks]

When I came outside to let my chickens out this morning, my favorite hen's eye was swollen. She was acting normal, eating and drinking and running around. What does everyone think it is? Any ideas? Also, she was attacked by dogs last July, so the top of her beak is gone, although it's healed and she can eat and drink fine.
Please answer soon. She is my favorite hen and I love her so much. Thanks in advance.

1) What type of bird, age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
She is an Easter Egger, about 6 1/2 years old, and her weight is fine.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Her eye is swollen up, but other than that she's acting fine.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
It just happened this morning.

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No, just her.

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No, other than her eye she's acting totally normal.

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I don't know what caused it.

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Yes, she's still eating and drinking just fine.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I haven't seen her poop yet.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing. Because she was acting fine, I haven't done anything yet.

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I would like to treat her myself.

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use.
I use pine shavings. I can't think of anything in the coop that would poke her in the eye or anything.

 

[chuckachucka]

I'm not really sure but it looks like some kind of infection. Antibiotics will likely be needed. Is she also sneezing or wheezing or anything to indicate a respiratory problem?

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Thank you for replying, @chuckachucka!
I'm pretty positive it isn't a respiratory problem. She's breathing fine, no sneezing or wheezing, she's the only one with the problem, and it appeared overnight. Do you think that it could be some sort of spider bite? The reason I don't think it's a spider bite, though, is because she doesn't seem irritated by her eye at all. Should I try to flush her eye with saline, or at least water? One other thing I didn't mention before is that it seems to be just the bottom lid of the eye. She almost acts as though she can see out of her swollen eye, but only at the very top. Her eye has also stopped leaking, although I don't think the swelling has gone down at all.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would clean or flush the eye with saline. Get any pus out. Then put some plain antibiotic ointment, such as Terramycin or neosporin into it twice a day. She looks to have a mycoplasma or coryza sinus infection. Feed stores sell Tylan 50 in the cattle antibiotics, and you can give her 1 ml orally 2-3 times daily by mouth for 5 days.

Did she break off the top of her beak at some time, or was it trimmed like that? I would imagine that eating would be easier with wet feed in a high-sided bowl.

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

@BantyChooks
@ChickenCanoe
@rjohns39
@Wyorp Rock
And anyone else? She's acting fine, but I'm still really worried about her.

 

[Maddison]

I used to have a hen that pecked the eyes of her chicks and they looked much like that. I got a cotton bud and dipped it in some warm salty water and gently cleaned the eye out, the next day the eye was nearly healed and they were fine. this doesn't look too serious, so long as she is acting normal I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

I would clean or flush the eye with saline. Get any pus out. Then put some plain antibiotic ointment, such as Terramycin or neosporin into it twice a day. She looks to have a mycoplasma or coryza sinus infection. Feed stores sell Tylan 50 in the cattle antibiotics, and you can give her 1 ml orally 2-3 times daily by mouth for 5 days.

Did she break off the top of her beak at some time, or was it trimmed like that? I would imagine that eating would be easier with wet feed in a high-sided bowl.

Thanks for answering! I will flush it with saline, and use Neosporin. Are you sure it's a respiratory infection? She's not showing any other symptoms.
Her beak was ripped off in a dog attack, but thankfully she can eat and drink fine.

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

I used to have a hen that pecked the eyes of her chicks and they looked much like that. I got a cotton bud and dipped it in some warm salty water and gently cleaned the eye out, the next day the eye was nearly healed and they were fine. this doesn't look too serious, so long as she is acting normal I wouldn't worry too much.

Thank you!

 

[BantyChooks]

You've gotten some good advice already. I've only seen this once, & I culled the bird... eye issues creep me out

 

[Eggcessive]

I had a hen who once had a very swollen eye similar, with no other symptoms of a respiratory nature. She responded right away from the Tylan 50, and was back to normal in 3 days.
Pecking or infection could have caused this, but I would look for any respiratory signs. Besides sneezing, there could be gasping, chirping, wheezing, nasal or eye drainage, and lethargy.