Is my chicken blind? Pics of injured eye - Recovered!

[Lelilamom]

One of our 10 mos old GLWs was attacked by a hawk on Sunday. Our dogs alerted us and I ran out and scared the hawk away. One eye appeared to be missing and the other unharmed, just some pecks/scratches nearby it that healed within a day.

The next day we saw the "missing" eye was actually there, but sunken in. By yesterday it was fully open and restored to the correct position, but fully dilated - so it's all black - no iris, or ring, just all pupil.

However, the hen doesn't move. I have to move her from the ground to a low perch at night and back down again in the morning. She sits in one place and refuses to eat or drink. She turns her head to sound and sometimes appears to follow us with her head, but after 4 days, I'd expect her to peck at food and drink water. However I have to force feed her both food and water and she fights me with everything she has. If she flies out of my hands she falls to the floor as if she doesn't know where to land.

Is she blind in both eyes? How can I tell? When do I give up the fight and cull her? She's in the basement right now and I'm skeptical she'll survive in a large coop and run if she won't move 6 inches to food and water in the safe environment right now.

 

[Isaac 0]

Your hen is extremely traumatized.Keep her isolated with food and water and offer her food often.To test there vision move your hand towards there eye and see if they move/blink.I would get into (tube feeding) she is probably going to need it if she anorexic.Just give her some time to recover.

 

[Lelilamom]

Your hen is extremely traumatized.Keep her isolated with food and water and offer her food often.To test there vision move your hand towards there eye and see if they move/blink.I would get into (tube feeding) she is probably going to need it if she anorexic.Just give her some time to recover.

She blinks if I move my hand toward either eye. But she seems to blink often whether my hand is there or not and I'm wondering if she is still in pain. I got her to take some grapes this morning from my fingers but she seemed to struggle to find them - she would peck at the air around the grape piece randomly until she found the grape. She does seem to know where the floor is with her beak because she cleans her beak on the floor without issue, but then I moved the water dish where she was wiping her beak and she hit it - I don't think she saw it. The only good thing was she got an accidental drink. After than she shifted in her spot so she could wipe her beak in a different spot without hitting the water dish.

 

[Isaac 0]

Try touching her good eye and watch for a blink.If she doesn't blink it might mean that her cranial nerves are damaged.Which would mean that she would have a hard time living and perceiving the world.

 

[Lelilamom]

She blinks when I touch either eye and moves her head away when I touch her good eye. She closes her bad eye and flinches when I touch it.

Yesterday she ate grapes from my hand and from a plate on the floor on her own after I left the room. Then she tried to roost on her water bowl. I feel she is making progress but very slowly.

 

[Isaac 0]

Yeah i think she is too.I would but some Terramycin eye ointment and put it on her daily.

 

[Lelilamom]

Yeah i think she is too.I would but some Terramycin eye ointment and put it on her daily.

What is Terramycin? I have been putting Bacitracin on her bad eye. There is no puffy or redness, no puss and her bad eye is always open now. I brought in our gentlest hen, Lightning, who is a 5 year old Buff Orp and picks on no one. She kept her company for a few hours. They ate from the dish together and Lightning showed her the water bowl. I went down to let Lightning back outside and the injured hen was preening herself.

 

[Isaac 0]

What is Terramycin? I have been putting Bacitracin on her bad eye. There is no puffy or redness, no puss and her bad eye is always open now. I brought in our gentlest hen, Lightning, who is a 5 year old Buff Orp and picks on no one. She kept her company for a few hours. They ate from the dish together and Lightning showed her the water bowl. I went down to let Lightning back outside and the injured hen was preening herself.

Its a healing eye ointment.You can use Vetericyn eye spray too.

 

[Lelilamom]

She continues to eat and drink on her own, but I have to move her from her perch to in front of her food. She does not walk around at all. I'm concerned that she will never improve enough to move back into the coop.

 

[Lelilamom]

The damaged eye, which on the day of the attack was not open at all, and then appeared sunken in and completely black, is now looking fairly normal, save for a purplish, cloudy spot in the lower half. I don't know if it is damage or debris that needs to be worked out.

Can anyone tell me if this looks infected, damaged or just needs healing time?