Newly hatched chick with bulging eyes

[SleepyDinos]

This chick hatched out last night with bulging eyes, and I decided to see if it would get better at all if I let em rest for a bit. This morning I noticed that not only had its eyes not gotten better, but it also seemed smaller and its egg that it hatched from was bloodier than the rest. It was the last one to hatch. It’s running around and chirping just fine, but it seems a little slow to catch on, and it doesn’t fully open its eyes very often. I believe it is 1/4 Buff Orpington, 1/4 Salmon Favorelles, and 1/2 White Leghorn. All of the other chicks are normal looking and seem to be as happy as a chick could be. Here are some pictures:

Last night

This Morning (I’m not squeezing him, just gently holding him)

Size compared to the others

Shell

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Egg seems pretty normal honestly. Size could be normal too. Eyes.... well, I'd give it another few days to go to normal before culling. When I had chicks with bulging eyes, they were more than yours seems to be within a couple days

 

[SleepyDinos]

Okay, thank you

 

[SleepyDinos]

Do you know what could cause this?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Do you know what could cause this?

My family always called it hydrocephalus, but we're not sure if that's actually what it was. We think we had a bad gene in one of our hens but it only happened one summer

 

[littlepip]

This chick hatched out last night with bulging eyes, and I decided to see if it would get better at all if I let em rest for a bit. This morning I noticed that not only had its eyes not gotten better, but it also seemed smaller and its egg that it hatched from was bloodier than the rest. It was the last one to hatch. It’s running around and chirping just fine, but it seems a little slow to catch on, and it doesn’t fully open its eyes very often. I believe it is 1/4 Buff Orpington, 1/4 Salmon Favorelles, and 1/2 White Leghorn. All of the other chicks are normal looking and seem to be as happy as a chick could be. Here are some pictures: View attachment 4142117
Last nightView attachment 4142119
View attachment 4142118
This Morning (I’m not squeezing him, just gently holding him)
View attachment 4142120
Size compared to the others
View attachment 4142121
Shell

The egg is normal, however the eyes are probably a birth defect. It may be blind or have neurological issues to go along with the bulging eyes, and in that case it’s best to cull it. You can watch how she behaves for a few days and if the eyes go down at all or if she seems disoriented, doesn’t eat, etc. I’ve heard many stories of chicks like this dying a few days after hatch due to outlying conditions that came along with their eye issue.

 

[SleepyDinos]

Is there anything I can do to help it? Maybe help the eyes go down or to help it live?

 

[littlepip]

Is there anything I can do to help it? Maybe help the eyes go down or to help it live?

I’d just monitor it for now. Does it seem to be in pain, peeping excessively, or distancing itself from the others?

 

[SleepyDinos]

I’d just monitor it for now. Does it seem to be in pain, peeping excessively, or distancing itself from the others?

No, it is just struggling to find the food and stuff. I am pretty sure that right now it just can’t see. It doesn’t really move from where it is at under the brooder and rarely peeps.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many of the chicks born with bulging eyes in previous threads seem to seem to shrink and the chicks tend to end up blind unfortunately. You might want to irrigate the eyes with saline or eye wash in the meantime. Let us know how she gets along.