Eye injury/infection (?)

[GwenChan]

About 3-4 days ago, my hen presented with swelling around her eye. It progressed quickly to being swollen shut. She has no signs of respiratory distress, and no nasal discharge. The two days prior to discovering the swelling, it was crazy windy with lots of dust and debris flying around. So one thought is a foreign object got in there. We have yet to find it though. The next thought is she go a direct hit to the eye from one of the other hens pecking at her. She doesn't have any other signs of being pecked though(but that doesn't mean it didn't happen). When the swelling started, her eye was clear. Now, however, she has this cloudy film over her eye when I open it. Is this infection(pus) or her third eyelid(nictating membrane)? If it is infection, what recommendations are there for treating it? There are no chicken vets that I have found in the area. If it is her nictating membrane, is it injured in the upper right area?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would flush the eye twice a day with saline or Bausch and Lomb Eye Relief eye wash. Then put a small dab of plain Triple Antibiotic ointment into the eye 2 times daily. If there seems to be pus one the eye, try and remove it with Qtips or tweezers. To me it looks scarred.

 

[GwenChan]

Eggcessive, so you would not remove that cloudy film. That is not bacteria in and of itself, correct?