new chick with one swollen eye. help!

[chickee35]

My Cochin bantams are hatching. One more hatched last night. When I took a peek at him this morning, I noticed that one of his eyes were "bulging" I guess that is the best way to describe it. There is a big bump (maybe the size of a large pea) the eyeball looks like something is covering it with a little yellow on it. The other eye seems to be real small but no swelling. I am not sure what to do. I put some terramycin in it's water and drop a few drops on the eye itself. Can any of you give me some suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Sandy

 

[pollysmum]

Your little chick may have aspergillosis (acute), or Infectious Coryza, but more than likely its a nutritional thing

Put multi vitamins (powder for birds) into the drinking water for all the chicks, it must be changed daily so don't make up a huge amount

Continue to give the multi vitamins for 4 weeks

Also with the feed, are you feeding the chick .. chick crumble

If yes.. wet it with some butter milk and place it into a container with low sides.... to allow the chick to stand and eat in case it has trouble finding food, it will kick the food about, give it a stir up after an hour it compacts down, make it wet and crumble not sloppy

Also put a container with Large red marbles and water out, so the chick can drink and stand but not get into the water and get wet

 

[chickee35]

Thank you! I am feeding all of them medicated chick crumble. I will call around to see if any farm supply stores are open, (hopefully I can get the vitamin powder today) I am headed out to get some buttermilk! Thank you sooo much for your response! I will post an update

Sandy

 

[pollysmum]

Make sure you keep the sick chicks eye clear and clean using warm water and gauze.. not cotton wool

Use just warm water .. nothing in it .. or make a very weak tea solution with betadine .. very weak

Also check all the vents (bottoms) of the chicks in case they become pasted over.. and unable to do any pooping... that will kill them quicker than an infected eye

 

[chickee35]

Okay so the large bump went down on the one eye, although it looks like there is a round cap like thing covering the eye. I can't figure out if it is the eye lid or is there is even an eye under it! The other eye is really small. It was completely closed at first, I have been putting warm water on both eyes, feeding medicated crumbles (Although he hasn't eaten any that I have seen) I have been putting vitamin powder in the water and in the other water dish, Aureomycin. The one eye is open a little bit, (although I don't think that he can see yet) but the other one, just that cap looking thing. It is not able to drink on its own (I try to dunk his head in the water so he knows it's there but he just doesn't seem to get it so I have been giving him water with a dropper and trying to get it to eat the crumbles but this is really getting to be a real pain. This morning I saw him poop so I know everything in that area is okay. Am I just prolonging the inevitable? Just looking for some advice.

Sandy

 

[pollysmum]

It sounds like he has picked up a respiratory infection, keep up cleaning the eye and make sure all crusts are removed with warm water and gauze.. not cotton wool

And make up some wet mash for the chicks using butter milk and medicated crumble.. put it into a flat dish and allow the birds to walk on it to peck at it to eat....

Give it at least 3 to 4 days on the meds before you decide to do anything drastic

 

[SpottedCrow]

Chickens have 3 eyelids so that might be what you're seeing also...keep up the eyewashing.

 

[mick]

my male chicken got into a fight and there is now dry blood or scabs over his two his, one eye is completly closed while the other it stuck open with a limited filed of vision, he his more or less blind, i help get food and water and put him up into the roost, will he get better or will i have to intervine, he has been like this for 2 days after a bad fight with a cockral , i dont know if the scabs/dried blood are stuck to his eyes, eyelids or skin around the eye, i cant help him for much longer and i really need help as he is my favourite chicken, i will be gratefull for any help

thank you (sorry about my bad grammer)

 

[dlhunicorn]

Please do not use water direct from tap!!!
Make up a sterile saline solution by boiling up 1/4 tsp salt in one quart of water for five minutes. Cool. Make sure the container you use to put the saline solution into is also sterile.
Flush the eye copiously before applying the antibiotic ointment (use ONLY the one specifically for use on the eyes!) If the eye is crusty then soak a cotton wad in warm sterile saline and gently use this to loosen the crust...then flush and apply the ointment

ETA: You must make up the saline solution fresh each day, you cannot save it.

 

[SpottedCrow]

If you don't have an eyewash, the saline like Diana says is the correct thing to use.
It's very likely that he can't see because of the blood in his eyes.
Your best bet, if you can is to separate him, to make sure that he can get to the food and water and it will keep him less stressed. Stress can cause a bird to die quicker than any injury.