Chick won't open eyes.

[KarateHorse]

We got a chick that can barely open her eyes. She barely opens one eye on her own. The othere one she keeps closed all the time. She still finds the food and water on her own and runs around without bumbing into things but she never opens one eye and the other eye she barely opens. What can we do to cure this?

 

[mizjones]

Hey Karate I just saw your post and was curious so I did some looking around (this site is huuuuge!) and I found some things that might help you. From several different threads it looks as though you can do some gentle interference with them.

• Keeping your little guy inside in it's own warm place (some people put them on the counter in a big aluminum baking pan with clean shavings in it).
• Dipping their beaks into food and water if they need it, but yours is finding it ok so that's good.
• Warm water with a tiny bit of honey in it helps them to re-hydrate as well as fight off infection.
• Warm, mashed scrambled egg for food.
• Using a Q-tip dipped in warm water and swabbing it carefully around and over the eyelid (some people say to try ever so gently to pry open the eye while doing this).

That's what I have found so far. How old are you babies? And what breed?

Oh--and have you posted in the Emergency Thread yet? It's here--- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1137688/the-emergency-thread

Blessings upon you!

 

[GingersHuman]

If it's newly hatched, sometimes egg goop will glue its eyes shut, and needs cleaned off.

 

[KarateHorse]

If it's newly hatched, sometimes egg goop will glue its eyes shut, and needs cleaned off.

It's not newly hatched she is several days old and has been doing this ever since we got her.

 

[KarateHorse]

[COLOR=4B0082]Hey Karate I just saw your post and was curious so I did some looking around (this site is huuuuge!) and I found some things that might help you.  From several different threads it looks as though you can do some gentle interference with them.  [/COLOR]

• [COLOR=4B0082]Keeping your little guy inside in it's own warm place (some people put them on the counter in a big aluminum baking pan with clean shavings in it).  [/COLOR]
• [COLOR=4B0082]Dipping their beaks into food and water if they need it, but yours is finding it ok so that's good.[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=4B0082]Warm water with a tiny bit of honey in it helps them to re-hydrate as well as fight off infection.[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=4B0082]Warm, mashed scrambled egg for food.[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=4B0082]Using a Q-tip dipped in warm water and swabbing it carefully around and over the eyelid (some people say to try ever so gently to pry open the eye while doing this).[/COLOR]

[COLOR=4B0082]That's what I have found so far.  How old are you babies?  And what breed?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=4B0082]Oh--and have you posted in the Emergency Thread yet?  It's here---  https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1137688/the-emergency-thread[/COLOR]

[COLOR=4B0082]Blessings upon you![/COLOR]

She is several days old and an Ameraucana

 

[mizjones]

Here's another answer I found from raisingchickens.org, I'm pasting it below.

Closed Eyes on chicks: I recently got 12 chicks. They are a few days old now. There is one very small chick that won't open its eyes.

It is a White Crested Black Polish chicken. Like I said, it is much smaller than the others. Is it having a health problem? When can I expect her to open them?

She is lethargic and stands in one spot, hunched over, but she does peep very loudly.

Answer
The loud peeping is a distress call. She is not well at all and wants help. She should be separated from the others. They may pick on her, making things worse, or she could be contagious.

With such a young chick, I would suspect she is suffering from shipping stress. She may not have eaten or had enough to drink soon enough. There is a product at the feed store called Chick Save, made just for this kind of problem.

For quick energy and possibly saving her life, you might mix some honey, molasses, or sugar in warm water, about 1 tsp per ¼ cup. Add in a pinch of salt and offer her a few drops.

Often a young chick’s blood sugar has dropped to a life threatening low and this could save her and give her enough energy to open her eyes and eat and drink normally.

Being the smallest, she may get bullied by the others, so if she does well and you can put her back with the rest, keep and eye on all and make sure she is OK.

 

[KarateHorse]

Here's another answer I found from raisingchickens.org, I'm pasting it below.

Closed Eyes on chicks: I recently got 12 chicks. They are a few days old now. There is one very small chick that won't open its eyes. 


It is a White Crested Black Polish chicken. Like I said, it is much smaller than the others. Is it having a health problem? When can I expect her to open them? 


She is lethargic and stands in one spot, hunched over, but she does peep very loudly.

Answer

The loud peeping is a distress call. She is not well at all and wants help. She should be separated from the others. They may pick on her, making things worse, or she could be contagious.


With such a young chick, I would suspect she is suffering from shipping stress. She may not have eaten or had enough to drink soon enough. There is a product at the feed store called Chick Save, made just for this kind of problem. 


For quick energy and possibly saving her life, you might mix some honey, molasses, or sugar in warm water, about 1 tsp per ¼ cup. Add in a pinch of salt and offer her a few drops. 


Often a young chick’s blood sugar has dropped to a life threatening low and this could save her and give her enough energy to open her eyes and eat and drink normally. 


Being the smallest, she may get bullied by the others, so if she does well and you can put her back with the rest, keep and eye on all and make sure she is OK.

Thanks for the information

 

[ChristalChicken]

Hello, I have a baby chick with the same problem. I tried the honey water and she drank almost all of it, I even put some in the food and she ate a ton of it. She is starting to open up her eyes more and she is definitely blind in one eye and has low-to no vision in the other. These pictures are of her when she first hatched.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Hello, I have a baby chick with the same problem. I tried the honey water and she drank almost all of it, I even put some in the food and she ate a ton of it. She is starting to open up her eyes more and she is definitely blind in one eye and has low-to no vision in the other. These pictures are of her when she first hatched.

How did your chick do ?
I bought 4 chicks from peavy mart yesterday and the guy out baby 5 in and said maybe you can help revive it
Was very weak , eyes closed but not glued was open mouth breathing , couldn’t stand
I started with Nutridrench yesterday and this morning she can stand , chirp and walk but stays under her heater
She isn’t looking for feed or water abd eyes still closed
I just now mixed warm water and honey from the farm
I did see her open the eyes quickly then close them
I have to dip her beak in so she will drink
She had no interest in feed yet
She is very tiny
Smaller then chicks I hatched myself yesterday
She went through shipping and I’m sure got trampled in the process plus stress
Hopefully I can build her Strength up and she will open her eyes and want to eat
Anyone else have any tips to helping her ?

 

[ChristalChicken]

How did your chick do ?
I bought 4 chicks from peavy mart yesterday and the guy out baby 5 in and said maybe you can help revive it
Was very weak , eyes closed but not glued was open mouth breathing , couldn’t stand
I started with Nutridrench yesterday and this morning she can stand , chirp and walk but stays under her heater
She isn’t looking for feed or water abd eyes still closed
I just now mixed warm water and honey from the farm
I did see her open the eyes quickly then close them
I have to dip her beak in so she will drink
She had no interest in feed yet
She is very tiny
Smaller then chicks I hatched myself yesterday
She went through shipping and I’m sure got trampled in the process plus stress
Hopefully I can build her Strength up and she will open her eyes and want to eat
Anyone else have any tips to helping her ?

Mine actually did really well, we ended up giving him the honey water and also putting it in his food so that he could eat. We would also put generic eyedrops in his eyes in order to help loosen up his eyelids. He ended up fully recovering.