Molting? Eye closed? What could this be?

Ahernaa8045

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Hi everyone,

I wanted to start a thread about my rooster, who I believe may not be feeling well. I’m trying to determine whether his current condition could simply be related to molting or if there might be something more going on.

He’s eating and drinking normally, although he does feel a bit lighter and seems to have lost some weight. I’ve already checked for mites and didn’t find any. I understand he’s likely molting, which is why I’ve attached pictures showing the new spiky feathers coming in.

I’ve noticed he’s been resting more than usual. He still free-ranges during the day for a few hours and forages as normal, but he tends to lie down and rest more often than I typically see. He was sneezing a little earlier last month, though I haven’t heard any sneezing since then and haven’t observed other respiratory symptoms.

The main reason for this post is that he often keeps one eye closed. He does open it occasionally, and when he does, it looks a bit unusual—perhaps slightly droopy, though I’m not sure if it’s swollen. There aren’t any bubbles in the eye when it’s open, and it otherwise appears clear. However, I’ve noticed that in the crease of his eye, there might be some pus or something slightly sticky.

In the attached photo, the area circled in red shows what his upper eyelid looks like.

I’m mainly trying to figure out the best approach here—first, to understand what might be causing this, and second, to know what I can do to help him. I don’t want to stress him out unnecessarily, but I want to make sure he’s okay. It’s been challenging because, in most cases, I can identify what’s wrong with a chicken and take appropriate action to help them recover. In this situation, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on or what the best next step is.

Thank you in advance for any guidance or insight you can provide.

This is what his eye looks like when it is open. It looks like it’s dropping, it looks strange.

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