Eye problem with chick

[Bob-France]

Hi, I have a 10 week old Maran chick that has developed an eye problem. It was noticed two days after the chick was introduced to sleep in the main coup so I'm not sure if it is a result of being pecked at by the older hens. The problem was noticed 4 days ago and the attached pictures are taken today with no change in the eye condition, I have included a picture of his good eye for comparison. During the day generally the eye is mostly open. The chick is one of 4 that were introduced on the same night and had been out with the general flock all day for the previous week. No sign of any problems with the other chicks or hens. All the hens and this chick are home hatched so this is not a chick that has been introduced from outside. The chick is still very lively and I can touch the eye area without any signs of pain. Any ideas? If it is an injury should I just try bathing with a saline solution?

 

[azygous]

It matters little if the eye was injured. The issue now is infection, which it would appear is significant. Treatment will begin with flushing with saline eye wash, but there is much more that will be required.

Pus is covering the eye and needs to be removed since its harboring bacteria that will destroy vision. Here are the supplies you will need:

1. Saline eye wash
2. Terramycin eye antibiotic (ask at feed store or order online)
3. Sterile cotton balls
4. A towel to wrap the chicken in to confine wings and feet


Wrap the chicken and tie the feet together if necessary. This will make it easier to work on the eye if you don't have to deal with flapping wings and flailing feet. Trim your fingernails if long so you don't scratch the eye.

After flushing the eye well, soak a cotton ball in the saline wash and wipe across eye to remove the pus. Use as many cotton balls as necessary to remove all pus. Exert enough pressure to do the job. Wiping lightly across the eye may not get it.

After all the pus is removed, flush the eye again. Then apply the Terramycin in the corner of the eye twice a day until eye is healed. This may include removing more pus over the first couple days until the infection is brought under control.

 

[Bob-France]

It matters little if the eye was injured. The issue now is infection, which it would appear is significant. Treatment will begin with flushing with saline eye wash, but there is much more that will be required.

Pus is covering the eye and needs to be removed since its harboring bacteria that will destroy vision. Here are the supplies you will need:

1. Saline eye wash
2. Terramycin eye antibiotic (ask at feed store or order online)
3. Sterile cotton balls
4. A towel to wrap the chicken in to confine wings and feet


Wrap the chicken and tie the feet together if necessary. This will make it easier to work on the eye if you don't have to deal with flapping wings and flailing feet. Trim your fingernails if long so you don't scratch the eye.

After flushing the eye well, soak a cotton ball in the saline wash and wipe across eye to remove the pus. Use as many cotton balls as necessary to remove all pus. Exert enough pressure to do the job. Wiping lightly across the eye may not get it.

After all the pus is removed, flush the eye again. Then apply the Terramycin in the corner of the eye twice a day until eye is healed. This may include removing more pus over the first couple days until the infection is brought under control.

Hi, thank you for the quick and detailed reply. So I presume that all of the white that you see in the centre of the eye is the pus? Is the blue color also caused by pus?

I'll take a closer look at the eye because it didn't look like it is on the surface and easy to remove.

 

[Eggcessive]

It doesn’t look like there is any eye crust or drainage. The eye looks blinded, but I‘m not sure how to go about treating the eye. I would try to follow Azygous’s advice to see if anything comes off or out. If you have a trusted vet, that would be a good option.

 

[azygous]

You won't know what condition the eye is in until you remove all the pus. It may surprise us and the eye may be okay under the pus. The out "skin" of the pus may take a bit of manipulation to break loose. But the pus under it should be more soft and will wipe away easier.