My darling, Rosemary, was born mid-April 2017. She is lovely and started laying late September 2017. She lays gorgeous green eggs. I’m not quite certain what she is but she does have some silkie and EE in her.
My ladies are out everyday except for this past week when I was away on business. When I got home, five days later, she was sitting in her nesting box and would not come out. This lasted for two days and I figured that she had become broody. But everything I have read states that this doesn’t normally happen in their first year. But she refused to leave the box and did not roost with the others. Her last egg coincided with this change of behaviour.
It wasn’t until yesterday (Day 3 of this behaviour) that I forced her from the nesting box and was able to see that her one eye was shut. The feathers all around it are crusty from discharge. I have no idea what happened or when. She was drinking and eating this morning but went directly back to her box. The eye remains shut and looks swollen. I tried to open it and the eye ball looks ‘foggy’ but I really can’t see much. I have attached two photos. One that shows the eye and the other I tried to catch her puffed up feathers. She does this when the other chickens come close to her.
Rosemary and my two other silkies have been the brunt of bullying from my other larger ladies and I wonder if it is possible that one of the larger ones pecked her eye. What should I do? Is there some way to clean her feathers, what about pain relief? I am very new to all this and appreciate any advice.
My ladies are out everyday except for this past week when I was away on business. When I got home, five days later, she was sitting in her nesting box and would not come out. This lasted for two days and I figured that she had become broody. But everything I have read states that this doesn’t normally happen in their first year. But she refused to leave the box and did not roost with the others. Her last egg coincided with this change of behaviour.
It wasn’t until yesterday (Day 3 of this behaviour) that I forced her from the nesting box and was able to see that her one eye was shut. The feathers all around it are crusty from discharge. I have no idea what happened or when. She was drinking and eating this morning but went directly back to her box. The eye remains shut and looks swollen. I tried to open it and the eye ball looks ‘foggy’ but I really can’t see much. I have attached two photos. One that shows the eye and the other I tried to catch her puffed up feathers. She does this when the other chickens come close to her.
Rosemary and my two other silkies have been the brunt of bullying from my other larger ladies and I wonder if it is possible that one of the larger ones pecked her eye. What should I do? Is there some way to clean her feathers, what about pain relief? I am very new to all this and appreciate any advice.
