my chicken is acting funny.

[unknown1995]

my chickens are about 1 year old, i think they are isis browns but i'm not too sure. recently one of them has been acting strange, she keeps one eye shut and seems to be drifting off or something, kind of sleeping but not. i picked her up (which isnt easy with mine because they were 6 weeks old when i got them and they never got used to me) and her eye looked fine as far as i could tell, but i also noticed one of the other chickens pecking at her bottom so i checked that and there seemed to be some feathers missing. does anyone know what this is or have any advice on what to do?

 

[unknown1995]

thesw arw some photos i took earlier, you can see her uderside is pretty plucked. sorry for the poor quality images

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Is there any swelling around the eye, or eye drainage or crusting? I would watch her, and if it continues you can apply an antibiotic ointment to the eye (such as Terramycin or plain Neosporin or use Vetericyn Eye Gel. Plain saline or lubricant eye drops could also be used unless there seems to be infection or drainage. Make sure that your coop ventilation is good, since stagnant air, ammonia odor, and dust or mold can cause eye and breathing irritation, which can lead to respiratory diseases or eye infection. To help prevent pecking or bullying, get them outside to free range, make sure there is plenty of room in the coop and run when they are confined, and feed a good quality 16% layer feed. Nustock Cream or anti-pick lotions can be applied to the bare spots to help heal and discourage pecking.

 

[unknown1995]

i didn't notice any swelling or anything wrong with the eye except that she keeps it shut. they free range from around 10am until they go to bed which is around 5 now that it's winter, the coop is an old 6 by 6 shed(could be bigger) and the doors are fully open during the day and left just wide enough for a chicken to fit through at night. the run extends about 2m around the shed, so they have a fair bit of space and the coop should be well vetilated. thanks for your help

 

[Lmonette]

Hi, I have a cream legbar with similar symptoms; keeps one eye closed and keeps drifting off to sleep. She roosts all day while my other gens free range. I got her to eat & drink and she still had a good appetite once she started eating. Did you find ahelpful treatment for your hen?