Polish Hen with Eye Wound from Fighting

Airamith

Songster
11 Years
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Hello everyone - I have 1 year old Polish hen with some severe swelling around her eye from a wound she got while fighting.

I have flushed the wound, there is nothing in her eye that I can find, however it is so swollen and it looks like her inner eyelid is pushing out the socket. The eye itself is still there and intact, but has turned milky.

She is behaving normal. She's eating, drinking, laying eggs, being her normal self. Her poops are normal, no issues there. She is otherwise a healthy bird. She has been separated and is in the house for now. I gave her a "haircut" so I could clean and treat the wound. I cleaned with an iodine solution and applied Poultry care and neosporin- the kind withOUT pain relief. There is no puss, smell, or anything like that. The area is slightly warmer than the rest of her, and obviously extremely swollen.

I'm including a picture, in which she is loudly complaining, which is why her mouth is open. She is not gasping or panting in any way. She has multiple peck wounds on her head, with the worst one being just above the rear of her eye, and obviously the eye itself.

This is a farm bird - she produces eggs for me. She is not a pet chicken. I need to treat this at home, or if that's not possible I'll hard cull her. I don't want her to suffer, however a vet bill will FAR exceed her value on the farm, so it is not an option.

I am looking for any advice on how to help her, opinions on the fleshy protrusion from her upper eye area, next steps, etc. Any and all advice is appreciated.
 

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I would guess the eye may be blinded because it looks like the vitreous matter is leaking. Keep the antibiotic ointment on the eye 2-3 times a day for a week or two. Let us know how she gets along. Many chickens may lose one eye, but can get along as long as food and water are kept in the same locations. I had a Polish hen who eye was blinded by a peck wound by another in the flock.
 
That's what I'm doing now. Keeping the antibiotic ointment on her eye, keeping it moist. She's not very happy being alone, but she's safe, and we'll keep this going. I will give an update in a few days on how she's doing.
 

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