Possibly pecked/scratched eye

[jeronica]

Veronica, one of my Black Australorps, has just in the last hour or so started holding her right eye shut. There doesn't seem to be any blood or discharge, but she just won't open it. She's not rubbing or scratching her face, or even acting like it's bothering her. She's even going about her normal nesting behavior (we usually get the majority of our eggs late afternoon).

Veronica is our runt chicken, has always been smaller than the other girls and very timid. The other birds pick on her a bit, but usually only when she's trying to lay an egg in THEIR spot. I did witness one of the Buff Orps pecking at her head.

Should I just go ahead and isolate her? Should I try rinsing her eye with saline or anything? She's very difficult to catch, and doesn't really tolerate being held or petted, so I'd rather not stress her out if avoidable.

 

[CMV]

Once they go to roost tonight, grab her off the roost and give the eye a good rinse with saline. If you don't see anything awry then I would see how it looks tomorrow. If it looks red, sore, scratched, leaky, etc. I would apply some plain Neosporin to it as a lubricant and antibacterial agent. If you have any human grade Erythromycin opthalmic ointment, then use that instead, but plain Neosporin works in a pinch.

 

[jeronica]

Thank you for the advice! Naturally, about half an hour after I posted, I went to check on her again and she was fine. Both eyes open, acting as if nothing had ever been wrong. I'll keep a close watch on her the next day or so to make sure she's really okay.