Hi All.
I had a similar problem pop up a couple of days ago with a 2 year old Buff Japanese. She kept one eye open all of the time and it was bright and alert. Her other eye remained closed most of the time, she only opened it reluctantly when other hens were getting too close. She was also acting lethargic. I separated her from the rest of the flock and offered her some of her favorite treats which she ignored. That's when I know something was really wrong! Her weight was good and her combs and wattles still looked red and healthy (she's laying right now). No mites or lice and her droppings looked normal. I checked the closed eye closely using a headlamp to really see if I could tell if anything was wrong. No swelling, no redness...it looked normal except for it being shut all of the time. For three days I let her be just in case it was a scratch that would heal. After three days the symptoms were the same. I picked up a tube of Terramycin Ophthalmic Ointment (3.5 grams). It comes in a small tube and looks like neosporin. I applied this directly to her eye which I had to hold open. Halfway through the day she was keeping the eye mostly open and was running around with the other hens scratching in some fallen leaves. I just reapplied the ointment an hour ago and so far her eye is staying completely open. Time will tell if this works but for now it seems to be working.
I had a similar problem pop up a couple of days ago with a 2 year old Buff Japanese. She kept one eye open all of the time and it was bright and alert. Her other eye remained closed most of the time, she only opened it reluctantly when other hens were getting too close. She was also acting lethargic. I separated her from the rest of the flock and offered her some of her favorite treats which she ignored. That's when I know something was really wrong! Her weight was good and her combs and wattles still looked red and healthy (she's laying right now). No mites or lice and her droppings looked normal. I checked the closed eye closely using a headlamp to really see if I could tell if anything was wrong. No swelling, no redness...it looked normal except for it being shut all of the time. For three days I let her be just in case it was a scratch that would heal. After three days the symptoms were the same. I picked up a tube of Terramycin Ophthalmic Ointment (3.5 grams). It comes in a small tube and looks like neosporin. I applied this directly to her eye which I had to hold open. Halfway through the day she was keeping the eye mostly open and was running around with the other hens scratching in some fallen leaves. I just reapplied the ointment an hour ago and so far her eye is staying completely open. Time will tell if this works but for now it seems to be working.
