My white silkie has one crusty eye that looks similar to human conjunctivitis. It has a tad bit of yellow crusting in the top knot above her eye. I tried to wash the gooeys off with some saline and had started with some ophthalmic ointment. My question is what is the best way to get the ointment in her eye. I've been using q tips to put a small amount of ointment on the outside lids of her eye hoping some will get in when she opens it. It is dificult as I can't really immobilize her head by myself. It's worst than dealing with a dog for sure. Otherwise she has no other symptoms. She has had the crusty eye for about two days. She is about 16 weeks. She has another non silkie companion bird in carrier with her and she is fine. Are silkies prone to eye problems from all the feathers around the eye? I'm planning on giving her a trim.
Hold her, open the eye, put (squeeze) the ointment inside the (outer) lid.. along the inner edge of (outer) lid, either the top or bottom.. when the eye closes it will go into the eye. I would be a little more generous with the ointment, make sure my hands are clean, and have someone help me to hold her if she is not easy to control, clean the tip of the tube of ointment before and after each application, and maybe give a gentle rub to be sure it's getting in. She should close her eye when you give it a rub with your finger. Q-tips can leave fibers, so.. I would use a clean finger. I don't have any Silkies (yet), so don't know what they are prone to. Use the BYC search -- maybe search "Pink Eye" or Conjunctivitis and see what comes up. Good luck.
I have had to get ointment into my silkies eye and the best way I found out to do it, is to hold her in my lap sidewards, then she relaxes and I can get one finger to open it and the other to get the ointment in. But apparently once I get her up on her feet, she shakes her head, rubs her head on her back wings then scratches her eye, deliberately trying to get the stuff off, defeating the whole entire purpose, i was thinking of making one of those plastic circle things to put around her neck like vets do for dogs, this way she wouldn't be able to get the ointment off, but then voted against the idea..
Laycrystol- What was wrong with your silkies eye. Is she the only one that had a problem or are silkies prone to eye problems due to all those feathers around there face? Yes I will try your approach but it's hard as she always moves her head around as soon as I touch the eye lid. I have her wrapped in a towel to try to prevent movement as well while addressing eye with the medicine. She didn't seem any better the AM after two treatments of the opthalamic bacitrin I used on my son for pinkeye. Maybe nothing got in past that tightly shut eyelid! I have to give her a trim. She is constantly stepping on her own foot feathers and tripping herself. I just have the one and I'm second quessing my decision as I will be introducing her into a mixed flock of standard and bantams. The other silkie cross I have in with her has less feathering and is much more of a spaz. These pure breed silkies sure seem mello at least the one I have. I'm wondering if she will be able to fit in ok.
You have to be careful putting Silkies in the same pen with a standard chicken. Alot of them have vaulted skulls(hole in the top of the skull) which makes them more prone to injury. One peck on the top of the head could do it. Smaller bantams may be ok to house them with.
