Closed eye

[kathyd]

Hi. When I went to let my birds out this morning I found that one of them had one eye stuck closed. My inclination is to bathe it with cooled boiled water, as I would for any other animal (including my OH!). Is this the right thing to do please, or should I leave alone / visit the vet? Thx

Edit: this is the hen which has a bent tail and which always seems to catch everything that's going around including most recently scaly leg mites - having said that, as far as I can tell there's nothing else wrong with her at the moment apart from moulting, and the rest of the birds appear OK too (touch wood).

[roitelet]

I would bathe it and wait and see. She may have scratched it on something and it is sore.

[Nicos]

Try bathing it first- she may have a speck of something in there which just needs washing out.

I'd pop a a tiny pinch of salt in the warm water as it's antiseptic.

If you take her to the vets ( French) he'll probably tell you to eat her!!!!

[kathyd]

Thx both - I went along with my bathing supplies and found she'd opened it all by herself! So I guess you were right. Reading my guide for poultry keepers - a well-known book often recommended on this forum - it sounded as though she was about to expire, and the least I'd need would be antibiotics or some kind of special eye wax....

Lol Nicos . Our vets are actually quite good with my chickens, but I've not dared take this particular bird along because I'm pretty sure they'd just suggest I wring her neck.. If/when that dreaded day comes, I'm afraid it'll have to be the vet who does it anyway, because I'm just not up to the job .

[Feral007]

Salty water is a good eye wash, or calendula. Both will clear the junk out and then they have a chance of keeping it clean. If it is yellowish discharge stuck it's usually not a bad sign. Green is not a good colour and I'd be inclined to take a green eye to the vet.

Had to laugh when someone recently took a chook to our vet he said 'It's just a chook you know' and they replied, 'Yes, but it's an Expensive Chook!' He's not mean, but he does recognise that vets are expensive.