One eye closed - otherwise fine

[Marigold555]

Hi there, five days ago I found one of my four, 11 week old rhode island red chickens with one eye closed. She was lethargic and also hanging away from the others. I gave her electrolytes/neutredrench and took her to the vet a few hours later. Everything checked out okay at the vet (heart, respiratory, etc.) and the eye under the closed eyelid looked normal. We did a mites test and she doesn't have them. After we got back from the vet she perked up and seemed to be fine the next day. Now, four days later in the morning she stayed on her night-time roost after the others came down and she had the eye closed again. I hand fed her electrolytes which she drank gratefully and has perked up a bit. But what to do next?

More info that might be helpful: Right now they live in a 30 square foot indoor menagerie while their coop is being finished (should be about a week!). I used to use pine shavings but switched to hay/straw I got at a local garden center about 2 weeks ago (could it be the hay?). Also a few weeks ago I started to mix some bird seed in with their feed for variety. I also give them kale, collards, blueberries, watermellon and lettuce as a treat which they love. They are from Pickering Valley so vaccinated against Mercks and have been on medicated chick feed mixed in with the pollet organic crumbles from Purina. They have water in a water bottle (which was the only way I could keep poop out of it) but they all know how to drink and seem to enjoy drinking regularly. The day before she had the eye thing I had taken them outside for a dust bath. I thought at first she somehow hurt the eye and then just didn't see her food/water so got lethargic...but because it went away and came back a few days later I wonder if it's something else?

Any similar experiences or ideas are helpful! Asking the vet to call in antibiotics meanwhile.

P.S. Here is a photo from the vet where you can see the closed eye

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Try flushing her eye with saline and applying terraycin eye ointment.

Make sure she's drinking very well and eating her normal chick starter. She gratefully drank the electrolytes so she's not drinking!

Photos of their housing may be helpful.

Limit your treats, make sure they have grit. What is is the organic crumble, is it starter or layer feed?

At 11 weeks a closed eye and lethargy could be a number of things. Did the vet run a fecal float to see if Coccidiosis is an issue?
Any moldy feed or is the hay molded?

Marek's is also a possibility at 11 weeks.
I would continue with giving her electrolytes and see how it goes. If she gets worse, then treating for Coccidiosis would be the next thing I would do.

I hand fed her electrolytes which she drank gratefully and has perked up a bit.

30 square foot indoor menagerie while their coop is being finished (should be about a week!). I used to use pine shavings but switched to hay/straw I got at a local garden center about 2 weeks ago (could it be the hay?). Also a few weeks ago I started to mix some bird seed in with their feed for variety. I also give them kale, collards, blueberries, watermellon and lettuce as a treat which they love. They are from Pickering Valley so vaccinated against Mercks and have been on medicated chick feed mixed in with the pollet organic crumbles from Purina.

 

[Marigold555]

Try flushing her eye with saline and applying terraycin eye ointment.

Make sure she's drinking very well and eating her normal chick starter. She gratefully drank the electrolytes so she's not drinking!

Photos of their housing may be helpful.

Limit your treats, make sure they have grit. What is is the organic crumble, is it starter or layer feed?

At 11 weeks a closed eye and lethargy could be a number of things. Did the vet run a fecal float to see if Coccidiosis is an issue?
Any moldy feed or is the hay molded?

Marek's is also a possibility at 11 weeks.
I would continue with giving her electrolytes and see how it goes. If she gets worse, then treating for Coccidiosis would be the next thing I would do.

Thank you so much for your response! So the vet ordered antibiotics but won't be here until Wedneday. Last week when her eye closed again I gave her more electrolytes and hand fed her and it opened back up. I started watching them all more closely and while the others aren't like pecking her away or anything, she sort of falls to the back when they all go to eat, she's just not as assertive. I hand fed her for a bit and am now adding more than one feeding location and that seems to be helping. The food is a mix of chick starter and layer feed for pullets. No moldy feed or hay. Vet didn't do those tests and though Merek's was unlikely since she's vaccinated. I can't solve the one eye mystery, but because she's back to normal I'm going to focus on the multiple feeding stations tactic, and also get that coop finished so they can go outside (hopefully this week!). Thanks again for your help and support!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

At 11 weeks old, I would just feed chick starter only, no layer feed.

Glad to hear she's still hanging in there.

 

[Kim3207]

Thank you so much for your response! So the vet ordered antibiotics but won't be here until Wedneday. Last week when her eye closed again I gave her more electrolytes and hand fed her and it opened back up. I started watching them all more closely and while the others aren't like pecking her away or anything, she sort of falls to the back when they all go to eat, she's just not as assertive. I hand fed her for a bit and am now adding more than one feeding location and that seems to be helping. The food is a mix of chick starter and layer feed for pullets. No moldy feed or hay. Vet didn't do those tests and though Merek's was unlikely since she's vaccinated. I can't solve the one eye mystery, but because she's back to normal I'm going to focus on the multiple feeding stations tactic, and also get that coop finished so they can go outside (hopefully this week!). Thanks again for your help and support!

What was the outcome of your chicken?

 

[Marigold555]

She's totally fine - hand feeding and sav-a-chick for a few days did wonders. She had a relapse when I stopped the hand feeding a few days after the initial event, but then once I started that again and just kept up with it for a week or so she was fine. I never ended up needing antibiotics or anything.

After I brought her home f