swollen eye and sneezing

[lots-ofchickens]

I noticed my hen had a swollen eye 2 or 3 days ago. But after putting them up tonight, I noticed it has closed all the way. The other eye looks completely normal but the other is swollen shut. Today she seems to be almost sneezing and making weird noises with her nose. I didn’t know if she scratched her eye or something. I’m new to chickens and I didn’t know if this is serious or just something small

 

[azygous]

If she's sneezing regularly, it may be a respiratory illness. It can happen on just one side of the head. Or it could be an eye injury or a foreign body in the eye.

The initial treatment would be the same regardless. Flush the eye with saline by lifting the eye lid and thoroughly sluicing the eye. Then apply Neosporin ointment to the eye or terramycin antibiotic ointment twice a day until the eye clears up.

If the eye gets worse or if the other eye also becomes swollen, then you probably will need to treat with a broad spectrum oral antibiotic such as Tylosin or penicillin or amoxicillin.

You would be wise to do an examination of her ears and throat, too. Look for any crusty buildup, plaques, or swelling. Depending on what you find, a different med may be necessary.