Pullet has swollen eye

[Ebony Rose]

One of my bantam pullets is outright missing, and another has an eye that was swollen shut that I soaked until we could get it open, then flushed with visine (dry eye formula). These are my bantams that refuse to use the coop, preferring instead my mango tree, and usually flat-out refuse to let me get anywhere near them, not even with juicy treats on offer. Canela, my little girl that let me wash her eye tonight, was perched in the mango as usual, but she seemed to know I would be out for her, as she selected the lowest branch to perch on... usually she's as close to the top as she can go.
The feed stores (where everyone buys all their veterinary supplies for cats, dogs, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, you name it pets or livestock) does not carry anything for the eyes for poultry. They said they had something for dogs, but REFUSED to sell it to me when I said I wanted something for my chickens. So... should I need to wash her eye again tomorrow night, should I use the dry eye formula visine again, or can I use the formula for allergy eyes (it offers me significant relief from itching and pain, and wonder if it would do the same for her or if it isn't good for poultry). Trying to make do with what I have or have access to.
I would also like to request that for those that pray, please pray that my other hen, Salt, who is missing is hiding under my watermelons, winter squash and tomatoes, perhaps brooding... and that no harm has come to her. Fruit is on the vine, so I can't really go in looking for her. For those that don't pray, please WISH the same things for her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

One of my bantam pullets is outright missing, and another has an eye that was swollen shut that I soaked until we could get it open, then flushed with visine (dry eye formula).

The feed stores (where everyone buys all their veterinary supplies for cats, dogs, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, you name it pets or livestock) does not carry anything for the eyes for poultry. They said they had something for dogs, but REFUSED to sell it to me when I said I wanted something for my chickens. So... should I need to wash her eye again tomorrow night, should I use the dry eye formula visine again

Hi @Tycine1 how is Canela's eye doing? Were you able to find Salt, is she o.k.?

For the eyes, you can also make your own homemade saline solution - boil 2teaspoons of salt to 1 quart of water for 15 minutes, let cool.
Do you know what they had for dogs that you could use in the eye? Plain triple antibiotic ointment (like original Neosporin) can be used in the eyes if you have that available.

Do you think that Canela's eye got injured when she was getting away from a predator?

 

[Ebony Rose]

I have some of that ointment, just goop it in there? I just gooped it in there, she wasnt' real happy about it but allowed it. I examined her eye more closely today (would you believe she let me pick her up off of the ground??, definitely feeling poorly to let me anywhere near her, and pick her up in broad daylight?? I worry that she may have been attacked, but by what...I can only fathom a bird of prey, but she's the only one injured and a full body examination today revealed no other injuries in flesh or bone.
Prayers worked, as Salt showed up for breakfast this morning which was a RARE breakfast indeed as I had some hard boiled eggs & homemade yogurt mixed in with their quail feed... Yeah, quail feed... 21% Protein, which is FAR superior to what they sell as laying chicken feed at 7%... I only offer such an extravagant breakfast when I have an overabundance of eggs... Salt probably drank a liter of water too, then did some smoozing with Pepper and allowed him dance for her, then they had a bit of feather grooming before she vanishing again.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I forgot to mention that Canela, full grown, weighs 17.45 ounces... that's one pound and about 1 1/2 ounces. Just... boggles the mind to think that she may have been attacked AND lived, but the whole flock gets along like peanut butter & jelly... no fights or squabbles.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have some of that ointment, just goop it in there? I just gooped it in there, she wasnt' real happy about it but allowed it. I examined her eye more closely today (would you believe she let me pick her up off of the ground??, definitely feeling poorly to let me anywhere near her, and pick her up in broad daylight?? I worry that she may have been attacked, but by what...I can only fathom a bird of prey, but she's the only one injured and a full body examination today revealed no other injuries in flesh or bone.
Prayers worked, as Salt showed up for breakfast this morning which was a RARE breakfast indeed as I had some hard boiled eggs & homemade yogurt mixed in with their quail feed... Yeah, quail feed... 21% Protein, which is FAR superior to what they sell as laying chicken feed at 7%... I only offer such an extravagant breakfast when I have an overabundance of eggs... Salt probably drank a liter of water too, then did some smoozing with Pepper and allowed him dance for her, then they had a bit of feather grooming before she vanishing again.

Just a little dab in the eye, the neosporin will melt into the eye, but a goop is o.k. too LOL
I'm glad to hear that Salt showed up! Is she by any chance broody since she came for breakfast, preened a bit, visited with Pepper and then disappeared again?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

@Hen Pen Jem can you help?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Just a little dab in the eye, the neosporin will melt into the eye, but a goop is o.k. too LOL
I'm glad to hear that Salt showed up! Is she by any chance broody since she came for breakfast, preened a bit, visited with Pepper and then disappeared again?

I'm praying that she's broody, but if she is, she'd hidden every egg she's ever laid. Cannot say that that would surprise me though, as she's one of the set of four bantams I bought, and although I got them at about 2 weeks old, and kept them in a brooder for 4 more weeks, and handled them daily, once they got out of the brooder, the cockerel convinced the three pullets he was brooding with AND my preexisting production red hen to leave the coop and roost in the mango tree instead! Under normal circumstances, I can only get near Brown Sugar (my production red hen).
I'm hoping that one of these weeks she'll come strutting her stuff and have several fluff-balls in tow. I'd really like to breed these bantams' daughters back to the father with an eye on smaller bantams. These birds were sold to me as Kikiriki, but it's evident that one *might* be, but the other three are too big to qualify as Kikirikis.
Canela is spending the night in one of my bathrooms with a terry towel on the floor, food & medicated water (antibiotics), and a very swollen, antibiotic gooped up eye. I'll determine tomorrow if she's still 'taking it easy' (lethargic) or if she's well enough to let her visit her mates. She didn't even get up today for treats, and allowed me to walk over to her and pick her up... not normal for her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

When you can, get some photos of her eye.
Does it look like there might be pus in the eye too?

 

[Ebony Rose]

 

[Ebony Rose]

Sorry that one of those images double-posted. The liquidy stuff is the ointment, and one really good thing about it is that it's keeping her eye from sealing shut again.