Help - My Hens' eye keeps getting worse

[Tweetledee]

About two weeks ago, while we were away our gardener sent me a picture of my hen showing me that something bit her. I immediately asked him to get a polysporin type cream from the pharmacy and apply it to the bite.

When I got back a few days later he said her behaviour was much better and that she was eating and drinking, but when I saw her, her eye had closed up. So I went to the feed store and got some antibiotics for her and some eye cream, which I started applying daily.

I stopped the antibiotics after three days as she looked to be getting better, but this morning her eye looked even worse, and the second eye was closing as well. She's also not eating at all today, so I started the antibiotics again today, which I had to administer with a syringe.

The feed store advised I try to squeeze out the puss, but it is very crusty and won't come out. I feel so bad for this poor girl.

I've put her on her own now and made sure she has a warm place to sleep, but she's just standing with her head tucked into her body.

Any advice would be much appreciated



First pic is of how she looked two weeks ago - you can see something might have bitten her, and that's where we applied the polysporin


This is how she looked on the about 10 or so days ago. The bit had cleared up but she got a film on her eye - which we kept cleaning and applying the eye cream from the feed store


This is how she looks today - the swelling started getting worse yesterday and I applied the cream and hoped she would look better today but it's the worst it's even been. We've tried to clean it as much as possible but the crust is very, very thick and won't come out.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I've only had her for about 2 months but she's always been a really easy going hen that seemed to blend in with my existing flock quite easily. She's a leghorn BTW

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

Sorry about your hen. Try to do the antibiotic for the full term, if it's five days or seven, as stopping and restarting it, it may not be as effective now, and she may need a different one. See how it goes as maybe it'll still help her.

I would soak a rag in warm Epsom salt water and apply it to her eye for about 5 minutes a few times a day. It should soften up or drain from these warm compresses and you can either try wipe it out with a Q-tip or use a sterilized tweezers to try to get it out. If she is anxious or jumpy, wrap her up in a towel.

Terramycin is an antibiotic for eyes. I would pick up some of that and use that a few times a day as well.

If you have any vitamins, a vitamin boost would help her fight this off. We use Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench.

Is she eating and drinking okay?

I sure hope she improves!

 

[Tweetledee]

Thanks for the advice. I tried the epsom salts compress last night. I cant remove the gunk. She is fighting me and her eye is very swollen. Ive also added the vitamins to her drink.

The feed store gave me an antiinflammatory infusion for eyes and shes on an antibiotic powder.

She just seems to be getting worse and worse. This morning the other eye has completely closed up and crusted over. Shes is not eating. I tried to force feed her some scrambled egg last night but today she doesnt want to eat.

Has anyone had a chicken go through this and recover? It just doesnt look good.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

If you can’t get her to the vet it might be time to euthanize her. Her quality of life right now can’t be very good.