What's wrong with this eye?

[Juise]

Hi all, we recently bought 6 new chickens, all about 5 weeks old. We've had them a couple weeks now, and I noticed the other day that this one's right eye looked a bit pink and swollen. I thought perhaps she's received a peck, her nose and left eye all look fine, and I haven't seen any dropping out of the ordinary from them. Here's a few pictures of her eye, she has been also holding it closed sometimes, as seen in the third picture.

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Here is a picture of her left eye that looks fine to me.

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I've been keeping an eye on it, and at first I thought it was looking a bit better, but tonight as I was getting them in I noticed some bubbles in her eye socket at the front. I looks like spittle. Is it possible it is only an eye injury, or do the bubbles mean it is definitely an infection of some sort? I'm pretty worried. Should I isolate her from the other chicks? (All 6 new chickens are already quarantined from our older birds.)

Any ballpark figures as to how much it costs to get a swab done? Any advice?

 

[chicken grandma]

Hi Juise,
I would take a lipton tea bag, soak it in warm water and then use it as a warm compress on the right eye. If you can squeeze the bag a bit to get some tea in the eye all the better. If it is a mild eye infection then it should clear up if you use the tea bag twice a day. It should respond within 2 or 3 applications or 24 hours.

Another thing to know if that there is a worm that infests the eye of chickens. Every time I have taken a chicken to the vet he checks their eyes for parasites. Maybe you can research that on BYC.

Third thing - listen to see if any chickens in the new group are sneezing or have any type of discharge. If so, tend your existing flock first everytime you go out and then the newby's. That is a good practice anyway. If the newby's have something going on, you don't want to spread it to your existing flock.

If your new chickens have any symptoms besides this one mild eye problem, you might want to talk to Nova's Vet, Dr Bader on Monday a.m.

I hope it is just a mild eye infection. Glad to see you back online!

 

[un-named543]

It does look like some kind of infection with the swelling and especially the bubbles. I had a hen that showed that over the winter a couple of times. It never got worse, is now gone and no other chicken has any symptoms. I did put a couple doses of the eye ointment Terramycin in that eye. I don't know it the ointment cleared it up or it went away on its own though.
Hope she gets better for you.

 

[Juise]

Thanks! I will definitely try the tea, and if that doesn't seem to help, then the Terramycin.

So you don't think I should separate her from the others, then? Not that I want to, you understand, lol, I just want to be careful. I was worried this would be a "dead panic" problem, I am glad no one so far seems to think so. I have been checking the eyes and noses of the new chickens and listening to them frequently since we brought them home, so far this eye is the only thing I have noticed.

We try to take quarantine as seriously as we find possible here, which basically amounts to always taking care of our old flock first, having the new chicks in a tractor, within a quarantine fence, and always switching to a special pair of "quarantine boots" when entering the area. I make sure when leaving the area that the kids (and myself, of course!) do not touch anything and head straight in to wash thoroughly. That's the best I think we can do, considering that our "old" flock free ranges.

 

[cocosandy]

I would give them anbtibiotics. Denaguard works well for this, but check that you can give it to chicks.
if not, try tylan or something like that. I would treat that before it gets worse.
Have you got them on medicated feed? If not, I would keep them on it till 12 weeks!

 

[Wigggy]

Get some warm salty water and get a Cotten will ball and dab it on and if not all ready feed medicated feed