# Chicken Eye Issue



## CaramelKittey (Oct 31, 2019)

Hi all!
I'm here with a really weird one!
I have a hen (Rhode Island Red/ Black Star cross) who is about 2-3 years old. And....her eyelid seems to be sideways. I have no idea how to explain it, so I just have to show it.
This is her right eye. Notice it is perfectly normal. 







The bottom picture is her left eye. I have no clue how long this has been going on. I first noticed it a few days ago, and decided to post about it today. She is the only bird who has it, and she is acting fine. Her vision seems to be okay too. The eye is not dry, there is no discharge, and she doesn't seem to have any other issues. Any ideas about what it could be?

Here's a link to a video showing her eye. 




Any and all help/advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Not sure what it is but have you tried putting eye antibiotic in it?


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## CaramelKittey (Oct 31, 2019)

ksalvagno said:


> Not sure what it is but have you tried putting eye antibiotic in it?


I haven't. It didn't look like an infection of any sort, but it could be. What do you suggest?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Chickens actually have three eyelids so what you are seeing is in fact her third eyelid. Chickens use their third eyelid to blink and not their upper or lower. It's kind like a windshield wiper. 

I'm not sure what would be causing you to see it. I know that in certain animals with third eyelids that it can be a sign of a cold or something like that. Maybe she has something stuck in her eye that is irritating it. I'd just keep and eye on it (pun intended) or you could do what ksalvagno said and put something on it. As long as she is acting normal otherwise I don't think it's too much of a concern. She is a very pretty chicken.


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## CaramelKittey (Oct 31, 2019)

MellonFriend said:


> Chickens actually have three eyelids so what you are seeing is in fact her third eyelid. Chickens use their third eyelid to blink and not their upper or lower. It's kind like a windshield wiper.
> 
> I'm not sure what would be causing you to see it. I know that in certain animals with third eyelids that it can be a sign of a cold or something like that. Maybe she has something stuck in her eye that is irritating it. I'd just keep and eye on it (pun intended) or you could do what ksalvagno said and put something on it. As long as she is acting normal otherwise I don't think it's too much of a concern. She is a very pretty chicken.


Thank you! Unfortunately, she's molting right now so she isn't as pretty as usual. 
I haven't seen any other symptoms of a cold, but I will definitely keep an eye on her. I think she may have gotten pecked by another chicken. They have lots of space during the day time but, they recently moved to a new coop (We build a whole new chicken coop recently) and with a new coop, comes new roosts. I think they are just re-establishing a pecking order to see who sits where. I noticed she was on the lower end of the list.
Next time we head out to TSC, we're going to pick up an eye antibiotic and see what happens. It may very well she just got some dust, dirt, or a seed stuck in her eye while foraging, and it will come out eventually. 
Thanks @ksalvagno and @MellonFriend for the help!


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

CaramelKittey said:


> Thank you! Unfortunately, she's molting right now so she isn't as pretty as usual.
> I haven't seen any other symptoms of a cold, but I will definitely keep an eye on her. I think she may have gotten pecked by another chicken. They have lots of space during the day time but, they recently moved to a new coop (We build a whole new chicken coop recently) and with a new coop, comes new roosts. I think they are just re-establishing a pecking order to see who sits where. I noticed she was on the lower end of the list.
> Next time we head out to TSC, we're going to pick up an eye antibiotic and see what happens. It may very well she just got some dust, dirt, or a seed stuck in her eye while foraging, and it will come out eventually.
> Thanks @ksalvagno and @MellonFriend for the help!


You can flush it with saline very well a few times a day for a few dys to see if that helps get any gunk out.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

The third lid in a chicken only comes up if there is an infection inside the eye. I revommend a flush and antibiotics. Dust could have scratched the lens. She could lose the eye.


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## Angel A (Apr 4, 2020)

Colloidal silver. Just spray it in her eye 3-4 times a day.


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## CaramelKittey (Oct 31, 2019)

Thank you! I will definitely _gently_ rub eye antibiotics around the eye, and flush it with saline. We have had a lot of windy days recently, and I'm honestly surprised she is the only hen with the problem. I'll check and see how she is today.


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