Week old silkie chick-- discharge from eyes, one eye practically shut

[nj*chick]

I bought 3 --day old chicks from local feed supply. By the 4th day, the one silkie chick's eyes started discharging stuff from eyes. It is watery, but is making the fuzz around her eyes hard. Her eyes just don't look right, not open all the way. They looked fine when we first got her. She does stumble alittle bit. She just doesn't seem well. The other 2 chicks don't want to cuddle with her. What could I give her? What could be wrong with her? Thanks!

 

[seminolewind]

I would treat her for respiratory. I use LS-50. My roo sounded like that, and with that med he recovered in 3 days, but I kept them on it for 7 (all of his roomies)

 

[Renee]

You should separate her from the others.

You can use Terramycin eye ointment for the discharge, but it could be any number of illnesses that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Some are bacterial, some are viral, some are fungal. The problem is that you don't know which it is, and using an antibiotic can make a fungal infection worse. The only way to find out is to have a vet take a culture.

Speckledhen recommends culling chicks with respiratory illnesses, because even if they recover they sometimes remain carriers and can infect the rest of your flock.

Good luck with your chickie.