We thought Flame was better and stopped giving her the eye drops on Friday. Yesterday when I lifted her for a break from the chicken shed at the end of the day she had her right eye closed again. I was so disappointed.
I decided I needed to break her from her broodiness so that I could keep a better watch over her. We also decided to continue with her eye drops. I know she can’t stay on them forever but it seems that after missing a day her eye is closing again so there is nothing to lose for now by continuing them.
I decided to start Flame in the broody crate at the end of the day. It usually takes two days and two or three nights to break her. I hadn’t wanted to do this earlier as it seemed mean when she already had a problem. In reality though there is not much difference for her to be sitting in a crate or sitting in the corner of the shed.
I put in a dish of water, a dish of mash and a perch. I watched over Flame once she was in and she had a good feed from the mash first which was good to see.
Flame then went straight to the perch and started preening. This is also good because in the chicken shed she won’t perch. I have tried perching her at the end of the day and she would drop back down again yet in the crate she will perch.
Once Flame had finished preening she settled down on the perch.
As she was settled I closed up the shed for the night.
I feel certain that the problem is just an eye problem as if it was something respiratory or some other underlying problem it would effect both eyes. Flame has been rubbing at her eye with her claws which of course is not helpful but shows that it is irritating her.
This morning I closed the nest boxes and shed pop hole and put Flame back in the run for a break. Flame wasn’t interested and when she couldn’t get in the shed she sat on top of a nest box.
We gave her the eye drop and I returned her to the crate. I will do the usual of closing the nest boxes and giving Flame a break in the run several times throughout the day.
I will continue until I break Flame of her broody spell and will continue with the eye drops until they run out. I will then have a chat with the vet to see what we should do going forward.
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So good that you’re so observant of your flock and noticed xx
I am lucky that I am here most of the time so I check on them all the time. I put Flame in the run at lunch time and she had a dust bath. She then went and sat on top of the closed nest box so I put her back in the broody crate xx
Sorry to hear this, it sounds as though there must be something in her eye.
When her eye is open it looks normal. I have been able to look close up while she is in the crate and I can’t see anything. The vet put a dye in her eye and couldn’t see anything. It is frustrating.
She seems well settled in the crate. Hope she improves, and quickly.
She is very good in the crate, she knows the drill. I think she will be back in the run tomorrow. When I closed everything at lunch time and put her in the run she was there for a couple of hours before returning to sit on top of the nest box. She is coming out of her broodiness and one more night should do it. Her eye hasn’t been closing much at all but that might be because of the drops. It’s just a waiting game really.