[little chick]

Hi everyone,
i'm new to this forum, and new to chicken keeping. I have a gorgeous black silkie hen, who has become far more than a chicken to me. The little love still doesn't lay, and she is a bit doopy, which makes her all the more adorable. Anyway, she has a bit of an iffy eye. It started about a week and a half ago, i noticed one of her eyes was often closed. recently she's been keeping it closed more and more, and when opened the eye looks very glazed. Im worried she may be blind in one eye? She doesn't seem in any distress, she still pecks about at all my veg (!!!!!) and saunters around the garden, so I don't think anything else is bothering her. Is there anything I can do to help? I've tried cold tea (as seen on another post) to no avail. Does anybody else have any suggestions?
Thanks for reading 
x

[joyfull]

what colour is her iris?

[little chick]

It's a sort of milky blue colour. I thought it could perhaps be a cateract? (although i'm a bit medically untrained, and not really sure).
Lc. x

[joyfull]

I assume the other eye is a normal colour one yes?
Does she have any other symptoms of any thing wrong and is she on her own or with other chickens?

[little chick]

Yes the other eye is normal. She has had a few issues, she had a little bit of a flap the other week, i thought i was going to lose her. But she pulled through. I took her out of the main coop because she was at the bottom of the pecking order, poor soul, and didn't seem able to cope. She was in with bantam pekins and a big hen. She stayed in the house for a few days to recover. She is out in her own coop at the moment which seems to have perked her up a bit. I am hoping to get another silkie to keep her company but not sure if it's a good idea now? maybe she is at a disadvantage because of her poorly eye?
Lc X

[joyfull]

Ok, you need to get her to a vet and keep her seperate from the others. Do you know if she was vaccinated by the breeder?
She may either have an eye infection which could have led to her being blind or partially sighted or it could be Mareks disease which can sometimes show itself as iris depigmentation, and sometimes opacity of the cornea. If it is Mareks then there is no treatment sorry, but if it is an eye infection or blindness then these can be either sorted or lived with. Please get to a vets as soon as possible. They can let you know what the problem is and hopefully it is just an infection. Fingers crossed and please do let me know how she gets on.

[little chick]

Thank you joyful for your replies, you've been very helpful. I have her booked in for thursday morning, and fingers crossed it isn't mareks. I will let you know how she gets on.
Lc. X

[joyfull]

Ok, fingers crossed for her. Please in the meantime keep her well away from the others  and keep a close eye on them all, any change in their appearence and or behavoir then get them booked in as well 

[joyfull]

if you can get her booked into the vets tomorrow that would be better.

[Tazzy]

If you google Marek's disease under images, it shows how an affected eye will appear. Hope you will get some good news for your chuck

[joyfull]

the eye is only one of the symptoms and is the ocular form of mareks but there is also the chronic and acute forms of mareks. Best let the vets see her eye as it could just be blindness caused by and infection.

[little chick]

I can't get her in until thursday, the avian vet is only in on certain days. she has been pecking about with the others but I will keep her as far away as possible from now on. Again, thank you, I really hope she's okay, she is a lovely hen 
Lc. X

[Chookiechook]

sounds like it could be an eye ulcer.... and the pain  will make her want to keep her eye closed   If it were cataracts then generally I would think that the eye would be open..... dont know about mareks (thank goodness no experience of that)

Good luck for tomorrow

[joyfull]

Any news? how did she get on at the vets?