Young Hen Won't Open Eyes. Possible Fever?

[Emily_VVV]

Update: I just checked on her for the first time since 3am and she had both eyes open for quite some time, and she's much more active! Still standing still mostly, but poking her head around and she perched on the rim of her bin. She closed her eyes again, so I'm going to keep flushing her eyes throughout the day.
Do most feed stores carry that gel? If nothing else, I'm hoping it'll ease some of her discomfort.
I'm still going to take her to the vet today if I can, just in case there's a small infection or something from whatever she probably got in her eyes.

On that note, can a regular avian/exotic vet treat chickens? or do I need to find someone new? There are very few avian vets near me unfortunately so the only one I know of is the one who treats my parrot.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she is improving

Most feed store do carry some type of ophthalmic medication. If you don't see it on the shelf, ask. Some keep it behind the counter since tubes are small.

Vets are hit/miss when treating poultry. The best thing to do is call your regular vet and ask. If they don't treat chickens, then ask for a recommendation.

 

[Emily_VVV]

Great. I'll make sure to stop by the feed store on my way home.

She's currently outside with both eyes open (periodically closing) and foraging with the other hens. It's pretty hot out so we're letting her get some sun and checking on her frequently. Flushed her eyes again this morning.

 

[Emily_VVV]

Unfortunately, the vet can't see her until Thursday, but I'm on the wait list in case there's a cancellation sooner.

Pepper needs some help eating-- she closes her eyes and then it's like she forgets where her feeder is, so we have to shake it, then she'll open her eyes and trot over to eat. Otherwise, she's doing much better. I've treated her eyes with Veterycin (not sure if i spelled that right) twice now. When I flush her eyes, she perks up a bunch (she seems excited to see) but once i put the gel on her eyes, it seems like she keeps them closed longer or like it's causing discomfort rather than relief. I'm not sure, but either way I'm going to keep flushing/treating the eyes 3 times a day (per instructions on the bottle of gel) and keep my fingers crossed that she will continue to improve.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post a photo of her eyes?

Do they look "normal" compared to the other chicks, no odd iris or cornea?

 

[Emily_VVV]

Can you post a photo of her eyes?

Do they look "normal" compared to the other chicks, no odd iris or cornea?

Her eyes do look normal compared to the other chicks, albeit a tad watery. She now has no reservations about opening them if i "startle" her (pick her up, walk up to her, etc) and has repeatedly jumped out of her bin to try and wiggle into the enclosure with her flock.

My boyfriend has my phone right now. I'll set a reminder on the computer to take pictures of her eyes as soon as he's home

 

[Emily_VVV]

She has also figured out that I WANT her to open her eyes to flush them, and promptly closes them upon seeing the syringe or the gel bottle.