swollen eye, chick peeping in pain

[Melilem]

She is a 2 week old single tufted araucana, and on her untufted side her eye has swollen up like a chihuaha and she occasionally peeps loudly like she's in pain. When she was a day old, I noticed that eye looked squinty, like when you pull the skin below your temples to make 'chinese eyes', or like some crossbeaked chicks have. She is not crossbeak though- ALTHOUGH I have just noticed that she has a ridge down both sides of her beak that I have never seen on a chicken before. Before she was even a week old, she stopped opening that eye. Now this morning it just swelled right up, I tried to look in it but the swelling is so much that I cant see anything except a little bit of black eyeball (which appeared intact, best I could tell) and a lot of red swollen flesh around it. Some tears came out, or maybe it was runny clear pus? The other eye is fine, there is no crust or goo outside the eye (believe it or not). Other than the obvious peeps of pain, she doesnt appear sick (she is pretty active, eats and drinks, poops normal poop and preens herself) I think maybe she is actually a double tufted araucana with an ingrown tuft. So my question is, what do you think it is! What can I do for her? I am going to have to cull her tomorrow if I cant think of anything else to do... I feel like a meanie for letting her suffer all day.

 

[dedern]

Get some Terramycin oint from the feed store and apply to the eye it could just be irritated. Especially if there is no nasal discharge

 

[Melilem]

Nice, I'll try that...although I don't think she actually has it infected yet. I don't know if I can flush her eye, I guess theoretically a foreign object would fester up? Anyway, that's a great idea- and it gives me something to do besides panic

Thanks Dedern.

 

[dixiechick]

Could you put some Neosporin with pain killer (the OTC stuff) on her eye? I'd hate to cull her if she is otherwise acting normal (eating, drinking, pooping, etc)