One eye closed on my hen

[waterboychuck]

I noticed that one of my three hens has her left eye totally closed and she has tilted her head to the left as well. She appears healthy and is laying eggs. Is there anything that I can do for her?

 

[6BeachChicks]

Can we see a picture? Maybe a picture of her poop? That will help greatly. Thanks!

 

[waterboychuck]

Can we see a picture? Maybe a picture of her poop? That will help greatly. Thanks!

Here is a photo of some poop. I have a plastic container under their roost to collect but not sure which one/s it is. When I took the photo of her eye she kept bending her head into her side and her comb is also leaning.

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures would be helpful. Open the eye and look for any debris, feather, or dirt in the eye, and for any bubbles or drainage. Tilting of the head could be wry neck a neurological symptom. That can be a sign of head injury, vitamin B1 or E deficiency, and is sometimes seen in Mareks and a few other diseases. Was she pecked in the eye?

 

[6BeachChicks]

@Eggcessive @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[6BeachChicks]

@Eggcessive was so fast, they answered before I tagged them.

 

[waterboychuck]

Pictures would be helpful. Open the eye and look for any debris, feather, or dirt in the eye, and for any bubbles or drainage. Tilting of the head could be wry neck a neurological symptom. That can be a sign of head injury, vitamin B1 or E deficiency, and is sometimes seen in Mareks and a few other diseases. Was she pecked in the eye?

How do I open her eye without hurting her? From the top down or from bottom up?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can she walk/eat/drink on her own?
I agree, I would start her on vitamin therapy as suggested.

Just spread her eye open like you would yours.

Hard to see in the photo, a more clear one may be helpful, but does she have a scab/peck/lump above her eye?
Can you look inside her ear too? Look under the little tuft of feathers to see if there's debris or anything in there.

 

[waterboychuck]

Can she walk/eat/drink on her own?
I agree, I would start her on vitamin therapy as suggested.

Just spread her eye open like you would yours.

Hard to see in the photo, a more clear one may be helpful, but does she have a scab/peck/lump above her eye?
Can you look inside her ear too? Look under the little tuft of feathers to see if there's debris or anything in there.

View attachment 2899602

Can I put human eye drops in her eye? Her eye is completely closed and but she is still laying eggs.

 

[azygous]

When a chicken holds one eye closed, it means it hurts. Also, tipping the head in that direction can mean the eye and maybe the ear hurts. Does she scratch at her ear? That would mean the ear hurts. People say chickens hide their pain, but you just need to be able to read the signs. They experience pain fully as we do, and try to make it go away by scratching it, like we do rubbing a sore spot.

Look into that ear for crusty buildup. If you see that, she may have infection. Do as the others have told you to open the eye to look at it. Look for bubbles, a white film or other anomalies.

I was going to make a joke about putting human eye drops in her eye turning her into a human, but that would be too horrible to contemplate. Yes, human medicine of all kinds work on chickens just fine.