My tiny rooster has a puffy closed eye

[cocoloco]

Wow - it's been a tough month. Four weeks ago, I had a hen with a big swollen eye - we put regular original visine in it and kept her clean - it went away in 3 days. THEN...10 days ago my rescue hen (that we had nursed back to good health) got attacked by a dog- she is still recovering - getting stronger every day. I got great advice/support from BYC members about how to deal with that. Yesterday, my husband noticed my little bantam rooster, Jaciel, had a closed puffy eye. He would open it a bit, but, basically, it was closed. I put a few drops of the Visine in it yesterday - today it is worse - swollen shut - so I went out and bought Vetricyn eye wash. I came home - completely cleaned out the coop litter, put D. Earth in a layer on the floor, then clean pine flakes. My coop has always been considered very clean, but I hadn't done the big Spring cleanout yet - I feel guilty that something in there - bugs or germs - may be to blame. After that cleanout, we brought him inside and gently sprayed the Vetricyn into the eye 3 times as it suggests on the bottle. We got on this problem right away, I am praying it is not something serious. I have read about other similar problems - his other eye is fine, he has no nose discharge, and I could see no worms present. We are planning to keep him inside tonight. I am attaching 2 photos of his eye - shut and opened. My poor little meatball! Any advice is most welcome.

 

[peterlund]

Reggrdless of the negative comments i will get, go get some neosporine in a tube and smear it into his eye and under eyelid.... 2 days from now he will be 100%. Good luck. He will be fine... forget visine..that is just expensive salty water if i recall correctly....

 

[Eggcessive]

He could have mycoplasma (MG,) a respiratory disease causing sinus infection. Symptoms can including foam or crusty drainage in the eye with swelling around the eye. Tylan 50 injectable which you can get from many feed stores, can be given by mouth or by injection 1/2 ml twice a day for a bantam. The plain neosporin ointment in the eye, or Terramycin eye ointment from feed stores can be used twice a day in the eye. MG, if that is what is going around, is contagious and can make carriers of the flock.

 

[cocoloco]

LOL - I read about the negative comments - that's why I neglected to mention we put some on his eye this morning as soon as we saw it had become worse! I used the triple antibiotic formula. Later on, I bought some vetricyn to wash it because it looked like it became sticky. I've got my fingers crossed that we will wake up tomorrow and it will look at least a little bit better. Thank you so much for your advice!

 

[cocoloco]

Ok - I need a bit more advice - we have done everything we can so far - the eye still looks the same. We kept him in overnight, cleaned his eye and put more neosporin in it. What's troubling me is that he has not eaten at all! He forages with that right eye - I keep putting food in front of him - we cannot get him to eat. At one point he tried to look at the food with his left eye - it was weird, he was leaning into it, turning his head, as though he was having trouble seeing it. The last time we treated his eye, I put a dropper of Rooster Booster B-12 from a syringe down his throat but that's about all he's had today. I don't want him dehydrated. I have decided that I will take him to a vet tomorrow if it does not look better. How long can a chicken go without eating or drinking? He is inside and has been resting most of the day. Should I force more water with ACV into him?

 

[cocoloco]

Oh - I forgot to mention - the other side of his face is fine - no mucous, sneezing, or any other symptoms to suggest a respiratory infection.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Look for "Lubricant Eye Drops" Preservative-free. They come in little 0.4 ml tubes. Keeps them very sterile. I was told by my vet it's the only to use on animals.
I found your thread looking for help for my own girl. One closed eye, not goopy or crusty, other side completely fine. I'll be flushing her eye tomorrow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Ok - I need a bit more advice - we have done everything we can so far - the eye still looks the same. We kept him in overnight, cleaned his eye and put more neosporin in it. What's troubling me is that he has not eaten at all! He forages with that right eye - I keep putting food in front of him - we cannot get him to eat. At one point he tried to look at the food with his left eye - it was weird, he was leaning into it, turning his head, as though he was having trouble seeing it. The last time we treated his eye, I put a dropper of Rooster Booster B-12 from a syringe down his throat but that's about all he's had today. I don't want him dehydrated. I have decided that I will take him to a vet tomorrow if it does not look better. How long can a chicken go without eating or drinking? He is inside and has been resting most of the day. Should I force more water with ACV into him?

I am sorry that I didn't see your last 2 posts. Is he doing any better? With an eye infection, it can be hard to tell whether it is a respiratory problem, a ventilation or ammonia problem, or just an infection from a foreign body or peck wound. A vet would be a good idea especially to get a good antibiotic drop, such as ciprofloxacin which would treat more types of bacteria. I don't recommend force feeding, but to dip beaks into water or hold a small cup or spoon to the beak. They can choke easily if forced to drink. Tube feeding can be done if necessary. By his loss of appetite, I think it may be more of a generalized illness, than just an eye infection.

 

[cocoloco]

Greetings all - I apologize for losing touch and not updating. When my little guy's eye did not go down by the 4th day, I brought him to a vet last Thursday. She flushed his eye - gave me a lecture on NOT putting Neosporin/triple antibiotic stuff in animal eyes ever, because it is not sterile. She gave me a small tube of Terramycin and said to put it on, around, and in his eye 3 times a day. She said watch him closely - and give it at least another week. She said chickens have 3 eyelids - his protective 3rd eyelid had been damaged - she could see blood on it - but she saw an intact eyeball under that lid. I told her how he was not eating - she gave me a feeding tube and showed me how to use it by giving him a bit of water. I am sorry, but I don't have the confidence to stick something like that down a chickens' throat - my husband and I decided to try something gentler. We dripped liquid B-12 vitamin water on his beak from a syringe - he would open and drink it. The next day, I grabbed a handful of feed pellets, applesauce and yogurt - threw them in the blender until liquid mash - then poured that into a small zip-loc baggie. I clipped a tiny corner off the baggie and, as my husband held him, I poured it, a few drops at a time, on the side of his beak - he would open his mouth and catch the drips and swallow them. Afterward, before we could wipe his messy front, we noticed he would clean himself - by pecking/eating the mixture off his feathers - so we let him do that before wiping up the remainder of the mess. We did that for about 2 days - then he started eating again and acting like his old self. Yesterday, he started opening his eye again and chasing hens to have sex with him. Today he seems fine. We plan to still put the ointment in twice a day. CONCLUSION - Eggcessive is right - force feeding should be done as a last resort - it really traumatizes chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am really glad that he is eating now and doing better. Going to a vet can be the best thing if possible.
Terramycin ointment is good, and treats certain bacteria in the eye, but tetracycline is mild. There has been an ongoing discussion about using neosporin ointment in the eyes. I do that in an emergency. A pharmacist BYC member once said that using the OTC neosporin for topical use is fine. Sterile Neosporin eye ointment is better, but requires a prescription or vet visit. I would not put the skin neosporin in a human eye, though. The best would be to get ciprofloxacin eye drops from a vet or online. I have used the plain neosporin (triple antibiotic) with good results, but would go with the best I could get.