MY CHICKENS EYE

[Sassafras2]

This is my 2nd time posting here. I have a rescued brown female hen. One of her eyes looks like it has junk in it and the lid looks bigger than the other. Anyone have any ideas on what it is. I got the best picture I could. She was moving around

 

[ehavens]

read the data on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek's_disease. eye issue is sometimes a clue

 

[Sassafras2]

Well that sounds pretty serious. She is about 3 years old. Can they get it young or old? Her eye doesn't look like the one on the web page. It just looks like she has a cold in her eye. It is junky

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

@Hen Pen Jem can help. She is amazing

 

[dawg53]

I doubt it's marek's disease. It could be any number of things; debris in the eye, conjunctivitis, pecked in or near the eye by another chicken, or a respiratory disease.
Any wheezing,sneezing, gurgling, runny nostrils, head shaking?

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings Sassafras2,

It is difficult to see the eye in that photo. However, I was able to magnify the image to see a bit closer. There are some things that need clarification.

The hen's comb and wattles appear to have pecking injuries, and the beak also seems to have damage. Can you verify these details? This may be an eye injury.

If there is any discharge coming from the hen's nostrils or eyes, and/or the hen is coughing, sneezing or has any gurgling noises in the chest, then the inflamed eye may be a symptom of respiratory illness.

Swelling, mucous or discharge in the eyes are symptoms of conjunctivitis, inflammation of the inner lining of the eye. It could be swelling from injury or upper respiratory illness.

Treatment for both conditions is the same, for the eye:
Gently clean eye with warm wet compress, or if you see debris, flush with a saline solution. Gently pat dry with clean cloth, apply terramycin ointment or a triple ophthalmic ointment, on the lower lid of the eye. When the chicken blinks her eye, the ointment will spread over the eyeball. Apply every 12 hours, 7-10 days. You can purchase ointments at feed/farm store.

If you suspect upper respiratory illness treat for that too.

She is a beautiful hen, it's a wonderful thing you are doing by giving her a new life with you. Soon that sadness in her eye, will be a happy, round and bright expression.


These are my thoughts on your hen's eye issue, I hope they are helpful.
Other members will have advice, please consider them too.

God Bless

 

[unbaked pegga]

She is a pretty little hen. She looks like a perfectly round volley ball. I saw that dark place on her bill and I wasn't sure if it was dirt or what. She is not miss congeniality. If you pick her up (after you chase her around the yard a few times) she will not have it. I have to get to her after dark. All 3 of my girls have this respiratory thing they get when they are stressed. I have had one or the other of them to the vet at one time and he never identified what it was but when I asked him where they could have caught it he said probably from a bird flying over head (they free range) we have had such a wet spring and right now they all have it in varying stages right. Poppy a red orp sounds like she is dead with a head cold. Lilac a buff orp is wheezing pretty bad. She is overweight though. She doesnt seem to eat any more than the rest. And little Scarlet with her junky eye. I had some terramycin ointment for animals and I put it in her eye the other night when they went to roost. And she threw such a fit I dont know if I dropped the ointment or what. It would clear up her eye overnight. And I did see the oldest hen the other afternoon give her the evil eye and peck at her. I try to not get involved unless somebody is really getting hurt. I might need to give them some rylan orally