I have 4 black Sumatra chicks (less than 2 weeks old) and one won't open his eyes. I noticed yesterday that he seemed to have a problem following the other chicks, and also eating and drinking. His appetite seems fine, he appears to have trouble seeing the food. I thought it was maybe a minor injury that he maybe got from being pecked by a fellow chick, but today I am noticing that he keeps scratching his eyes. I have flushed them with warm water but only one opened. Could it be a minor injury? An infection? Is there anything i can use to clean his eyes?
Try flushing with saline eye drops or a lubricant drop. Look for any foreign bodies in the eye, such as dust or bedding. How is the odor in the brooder? Ammonia fumes can cause eye irritation. Feed stores sell products like Vetericyn eye gel and eye wash that might be good to use, but can be expensive. Terramycin eye ointment from feed stores is an antibiotic if it starts looking infected, but saline is good if it is just irritated.
I had a buff cockerel that something similar happened to him in one eye I too flushed it with water but he never got sight back in that eye. He was fine and got to be a young age before he disappeared... I mean literally in my coop locked up not free ranging... straight up disappeared... I honestly think someone stole him as I was cleaning out the deep litter straw earlier this month I thought.. well maybe he's in here but he wasn't... long story short unless it gets infected the bird should end up being just fine...
