Silkie seems to eat/grow but has blinky, slightly watery eyes

[LA~Poulet]

Her (we think) eyes are not running or dripping anything, they just look watery and aren't as wide open as the others. No respiratory symptoms.

I have three 5 week old Silkie chicks in a quarantine brooder cage, have had them for 2 weeks. For a couple days this same one has had slightly watery eyes and seems to blink a little more often than normal (if you search my name and silkie I posted a pic of her, she also had an injured beak). I've watched their poo, nothing abnormal. I saw a bit of reddish one time but I'm 95% sure it was just discarded intestinal lining.

I bought our chick starter from the local feed store, it is "Petrus Feeds" 20% Chick Starter, in a large generic looking bag with an ingredient list. How would I know if it was medicated? I have the ingredient label, the only things that I see on the label that I'm unsure of are: Dicalcium phosphate, Vit. A acetate, D-Activated Animal Sterol, Vit. E supplement, Vit. B-12, d-Panthothenic Acid, Choline Chloride and Methionine.

Any ideas? ''She'' seems to be eating and functioning fine, maybe slightly less energetic than the others (but that may be my imagination, she's still active).

 

[vfem]

Are you sure another chick has not been pecking at her, or pine dust has been bothering her eyes?! Maybe an allergic reaction to the bedding?! I've seen hens with allergies.... some people had to switch beddings before.

 

[LA~Poulet]

I've spent a lot of time watching these chicks & I've never noticed any bullying, they are in a brooder cage with a bit of paper I change out and hardware cloth on the floor.

 

[LA~Poulet]

Any ideas for things I should do pronto to help her health?

 

[LA~Poulet]

Today she's still active, and seems to be functioning okay, but is not thriving for sure. Her eyes are wet & blinkier than ever, she doesn't seem to ever hold them completely open.

What do I do?

 

[cjexotic]

Get some teramycin at TSC. It is a very small tube and for the eyes.
Put a drop in both eyes a few times a day and it should clear right up.

edit: missed to part on not thriving.
I had a couple like that and changed to a chick/gamebird starter 22% protein.
They turned right around. I also have not lost any chicks since I started using the 22%. Mine is Blue seal but any gamebird starter with 22% will be good.
I also mixed oatmeal and egg yoke together with some probolic in it also.

 

[LA~Poulet]

Thank you so much for your reply. I just left my store, but will call to see if I can get that teramycin before the weekend for her. My feedstore recommended Sulmet just to be safe, I bought some, but watched her poo (on paper) all morning and none was bloody, so should I rule out cocci and avoid the Sulmet?

 

[cjexotic]

Well I don't know many will not agree but I would do that just to be on the safe side. As it could be something else. Does she have diareah or is her poo ok? If its ok just do the eye teramycin and see if the eye thing improves. I am not fond or had luck with any of the auremycin or tetracyclines. I do the Tylan 50 a lot better luck with that. But the stuff for the eyes will definately improve that situation. Is that her only problem? is she breathing with her mouth open, is she sneezing or coughing or have a rattle in her chest?

 

[LA~Poulet]

Is that her only problem?
Yes, except she is just slightly less spunky than her two cage mates (but I know that may just be personality).

is she breathing with her mouth open, is she sneezing or coughing or have a rattle in her chest?
No, no, & no. Thank goodness! I have studied her closely trying to find a respiratory symptom, but haven't seen one.

edit: I put them on white paper this morning to really watch poo for any signs, and didn't see any that was abnormal in the least.

 

[LA~Poulet]

The sulmet didn't make any difference & I don't think it was an infection after all... I read on a disease diagnosis site someone posted here about Vit. A deficiency... Main symptoms were runny eyes and not thriving.

I was using a feed (non-national brand) mixed at a mill not far from here... Switched to a more standard chick starter with Vit A added and her eyes were noticeably better in 24 hours, and all better within a couple days.

I was thinking that locally milled = better (less travel, more fresh) but I'll stick to the more standard feed from now on... Posting this in case anyone else has a similar problem in the future and finds this in a search.