Hey everyone! I've got a bantam chick with a problem. We woke up this morning, and his eye is swollen shut. I've attached one pic and I'll try to post another, but I'm not quite sure how. Anything I can do for him?
Chick with Swollen Eye
Here's a side view:
I would bath it with warm slightly salty water and look for some ophthalmic antibiotic ointment.
So, like with a paper towel wet with saline water? Where will I find that kind of ointment? At the feed store? Or just human stuff? I'm sorry, I'm totally new to this.
Probably with something softer than a paper towel--like a cotton puff or Kleenex tissue. You might find an general eye ointment at a pet store or feed store, but you might need to call the vet. They usually won't treat a chicken, but they might be willing to prescribed an ointment.
If it is just a minor eye infection and you keep it clean, it may just clear up on its own...but I think I would want to use some antibiotic. Do make sure that they are all eating well and maybe add some sort of "chick booster" if it is available.
I am not sure about the advisability of adding an antibiotic to the water...if it is contagious and other chicks have symptoms, then you might try to find a general systemic antibiotic which they usually do have at feed stores. But in general, I wouldn't give an antibiotic to all the chicks if only one has a simple infection.
I used a cotton ball. Headed to the feed store for ointment.
Nothing to add except Catsy is our Medical and genetical M.D...She really does pretty much cover the bases though. Good luck to you and your new adventure, you'll do fine and learn fast...Hay.
Here is my peafowl web-site. Check out the link for CRD.
http://www.vonrussellfarm.com/pffrontpage.html
Thanks everyone! I did the saline and then bought and applied some Tetramycin (I think that's how you spell it!). I'll keep an eye on here and see how she does.
I had a few chicks with that problem. I used the ointment, but did not do anything to try to open it.. I used a q-tip and would just roll it on the eye to get the ointment on.. and then put a little extra across the top of the eye so it would "dribble down" onto the eye lid.
The chicks that I had with it were problem chicks.. (weak or hatching problems) not sick.
Boy, mernmart, what a time you are having! I hope your little guy is doing better and that--as Mike Brady said to his new wife on the Brady Bunch--from here on out it will be smooooooth sailing =)!
Tell me about it, Terri! LOL I think it's funny that I'm perfectly willing to spend $13 on eye medication for a chick that cost $2.00. I guess I'm in love.
LOL, I'm with you there. I've been buying blueberries because my peacock loves them. Time to buy some BB bushes!
yeah like what do our fresh eggs REALLY cost us? LOL Like $60. a dozen! LOL
Priceless!
Hydrogen peroxide flushes will clean out the area and cut down on the swelling. Try to see if you can get a good look at her eye and see if there is any sign of injury. If there is no other symptoms (sneezing, mucus, fever) and none of the other chicks show symptoms, it may just be an absess.
I agree with Catscan about contacting a vet. You will be suprised at how many will see chickens - they are popular pets. There is at least 4 in our area. Look for those that specialize in exotics and birds. Call a few local clinics. They should help you locate one.
Still no improvement. I'm going to call a vet today. I'm thinking though, we may just end up with a one-eyed chicken. S/he seems to be okay other than the eye, though it still hurts when I touch it. S/he can't open it at all, so I can't check inside. I'm wondering if s/he just got a piece of pine litter in it or something. :(
Oh, dear. I hope the vet can help her. Keep us posted.
Lol, I We are still bandaging a chicken that got attacked by my dog, on New Years Eve. We have bought antibiotics, we took her to the vet, which cost us $49.00. We have to clean her and change her bandage every couple days. I swear you are no crazier than I am. When you love something, well then, that's it. Oh and by the way, she only cost us $1.75. She's doing quite well, by the way. And her name is Claire.
Well, take heart. They are less injury and disease prone as they get older. Up until this Fall, I was about to give up on chickens. It seem like there a new problem each week. Now, they are happy and healthy. Knock on wood!
terri_emory, are you ready for another trip to Well's nursery? I planted a ten Blueberry plants and went back for five Apple trees. I think Blackberries are next on my list, oh yea, and Grapes.
Oh, I wish I could kenboy. But I really have to be good about plant purchases for the next couple of weeks =(. I have about twenty new roses to plant over the next few days. This weather has really put me behind. And the veg garden needs attention! Thanks for asking, though. Blackberries sound good.....I must be hungry =D.
Well, the verdict seems to be to keep it clean, keep antibiotics on it, and keep an eye out (ugh...sorry) for other chickens pecking at it. So far, that hasn't been a problem. Now, the real challenge is deciding whether to call him/her Popeye or One-Eyed-Willy. ;)
How about calling her "ONE EYED Jackie" You know after the Jacks in a card deck. LOL. Hope she gets better soon.
Popeye gets my vote.
I like Popeye
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Well, Popeye looks much better (way less swollen), but her eye is still closed. Hopefully it will open eventually, but if not, I guess there's one "special" chicken in every bunch. I still love her!
Catsy had a NN chick that did that while I had it... took a while, but the eye did finally open and was fine. Remember when Golly got that Catsy?
I should post a picture of Golly--she is a beautiful Nankin NN cross and laying very well.
If it hadn't been for ZZ working so hard with her, she would never have survived...she was a single hatch and a total mess....
Wow.. I thought she was long gone! I remember feeding her with a dropper and doctoring her eye for days... she got to the point she didn't want to eat unless I fed her! Yes, she was spoiled.. I loved her.. I thought she would be one eyed also.. Poor baby had a hard start.
So glad to hear she is still thriving!
You have one buff chick that is soo cute! I think there are several pullets in this group.. I can't tell cause they all have wing feathers.. but I saw a tiny lil comb on a black baby.
Here's Popeye today (and me). His eye looks much better (though still not open). He's quick becoming one of my favorites!
It looks like it's dry? Maby keep it moist with the ointment so it can open? Just my first thought..
Darling baby there!! Cute pic!
I will give that a shot. Thx!
Most of the time that a chicken has a swollen eye like this, it is Chronic Respiratory Disease/Mycoplasmosis. They usually get over it on their on but the longer they go with their eye closed, the greater the chance they will loose their eye. Teramicin or oxytetracycline works well in their water but Tylan 50 injectable works best. I could not tell you how much to use in a chick this small but a large chicken would only get about 1/4 CC. This is a big problem in peafowl but happens to chickens quite often. Most of the time, it is not even noticed and the birds get over it. It can be passed over to the rest of the flock and even passed through the egg.
Awwww, he/she is such a cutie (and so are you, mevnmart, for going the extra mile to help him out)! I hope you find the right treatment and he gets better soon! He will be your favorite, and you've handled him so much you will be his favorite, too.
PS. kenboy gives excelent advise!
I put ointment on his eye this morning and gently pulled his lower lid down. His eye is WHITE. I didn't see any iris or pupil. I didn't want to hurt him, so I didn't push it any farther, but I'm guessing he's not going to see out of that eye. :(
Awww.. I'm sorry that happened..
I'm sorry about your chicken. That's too bad. Maybe he accidentally got pecked or scratched or something. I hope he gets along OK. He'll do OK with one eye. I had a dog once that had to have an eye removed. She wound up totally blind but didn't let it keep her from getting around. I had a cat who became her "eyes" and would lead her around outdoors. In the house she got around great and could find her food and water bowls and bed. Animals are amazing that way.
Oh dear! If he's still eating, drinking, etc. then he'll probably adjust.
Oh, and in my above post I did not mean to say that no one else gives good advice. In fact I've learned so much from this forum it is the first I go to in the morning to see what is going on--even though I have way more roses and now tomato seedlings than I do chickens and peacocks. Every day I learn something new! I hope no one took that the wrong way, sometimes I get in a rush and forget to complete my thoughts =(!
And I want to thank the person who suggested a way to get my one chicken to stop plucking tail feathers out of my peacock. I started giving her some organic dog foog with her scratch feed about once a week and she has stopped the stealth tail feather plucking! I can't remember who suggested this method, but thank you, thank you, thank you!