My rooster has a murky looking eye with something white.

[OptionC]

I noticed that my adult Buff Orpington rooster, Makoi, was suffering from an eye problem yesterday. I cleaned the eye with saline, in case it is a bacterial problem. Their coop is quite dusty.

The white and yellowish things in the upper left of his eye concern me. Does anyone know if they could be eye worms, or a piece of dirt? If not, what?

He keeps that eye closed most of the time. It's watery and murky. It's not swollen though, at least, not yet.

Has anyone here treated a chicken's eye that looked like this?

He's currently the only chicken in the pen that has this problem.

EDIT: Thanks for your replies. It's highly unlikely that it's a respiratory infection though. His breathing is completely normal, and he's healthy in every way, except for his eye.

 

[toomuch]

Usually one eye closing shut or a cloudy eye are symptoms of a respiratory disease. It happened to one of my chickens but they never had a yellow substance.

 

[EggWalrus]

I wish we had a resident vet on here willing to give free advise. I've never seen this problem myself. I hope he gets better.

 

[nightowl223]

I have to disagree, I don't think it's a symptom of a respiratory disease. When one eye is irritated, and being kept closed - with no other symptoms - it's generally that the eye itself or has dirt or something in it. Respiratory diseases that include eye symptoms generally include an eye getting swollen and thick drainage coming from it.

The picture is blurry, so it's hard to tell what is going on there. Does whatever it is move around from one place to another on the eye when he blinks? If the picture wasn't so blurry, it would be easier to say what it might be. My first inclination is to say it's probably something in his eye. I would coat the eyeball itself with some triple antibiotic ointment - make sure it's the kind without any pain reliever in it. Anything that ends with -caine is a big no-no for chickens (or other birds, for that matter). Just keep coating it and watching it for any further changes. And please try to get him to hold still for a better picture, too. It would really help.

 

[Eggcessive]

What state or country do you live in? Most likely, it is an infection, probably a respiratory diseases, but also could be from pecking or debris in the eye. But eyeworms, which is rare, may be a problem if you live somewhere tropical, such as in Hawaii. A better, clear picture would be helpful. And welcome to BYC.

 

[OptionC]

I have to disagree, I don't think it's a symptom of a respiratory disease. When one eye is irritated, and being kept closed - with no other symptoms - it's generally that the eye itself or has dirt or something in it. Respiratory diseases that include eye symptoms generally include an eye getting swollen and thick drainage coming from it.

The picture is blurry, so it's hard to tell what is going on there. Does whatever it is move around from one place to another on the eye when he blinks? If the picture wasn't so blurry, it would be easier to say what it might be. My first inclination is to say it's probably something in his eye. I would coat the eyeball itself with some triple antibiotic ointment - make sure it's the kind without any pain reliever in it. Anything that ends with -caine is a big no-no for chickens (or other birds, for that matter). Just keep coating it and watching it for any further changes. And please try to get him to hold still for a better picture, too. It would really help.

Thanks. The things in his eye don't move. They didn't even move when I tried to clean the eye ball.

 

[coach723]

Clearer pictures would be very helpful. It's hard to advise what to do without being sure what it is we are looking at.