Swollen eyelid?

[Chickenchick11]

Hello everyone,
I went out to my coop yesterday to find one of my two year old White Rocks with a swollen eyelid. She was acting normal so I assumed she was either pecked (she's at the top of the pecking order, but one of my Rhode Island Reds has been challenging her for flock leader lately) or she had been bitten by a gnat because they've been horrendous here lately. When I went out to my coop today her other eyelid was swollen as well, but not as severely. She's acting normal, she can see just fine, her eye is clear, and when I put my hand in front of her face her pupil dilates like normal. I'm wondering why her eyes are swollen? Any ideas? I just cleaned the coop yesterday, but it wasn't super horribly stinky, so I don't think it was the ammonia.

 

[Eggcessive]

There looks to be a red sting mark above her right eye which could be from a sting or bite. I would give her a half of a childrens dose of Benadryl only one time to see if it makes a difference. Then watch her for any other symptoms of a respiratory disease (sneeze, cough, runny or crusty eye, nasal drainage, or noisy breathing.) Look her over for any signs of ticks, and think about treating your coop with permethrin to control any insects.

 

[Chickenchick11]

There looks to be a red sting mark above her right eye which could be from a sting or bite. I would give her a half of a childrens dose of Benadryl only one time to see if it makes a difference. Then watch her for any other symptoms of a respiratory disease (sneeze, cough, runny or crusty eye, nasal drainage, or noisy breathing.) Look her over for any signs of ticks, and think about treating your coop with permethrin to control any insects. 

I mixed the Benadryl with some crushed up Cheerios and she ate it. I didn't see any ticks on her, she's a big lady and wasn't impressed with me looking her over as she wanted to go to a nest box and lay a egg. I'll keep a eye one her.

 

[Eggcessive]

If the swelling goes down in a day or two, it was probably a bug bite or sting. If it is worse, and there is draiange or pus in the eye, you may need to treat her eye with antibiotics. Keep us updated.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Update:

Snow White's eye swelling has gone way down, one eye looks almost normal and the other is way smaller. No pus, drainage or crustiness in either eye and she's still acting normal. Hopefully the swelling will continue to go down. Thank you for your help Eggcessive!

 

[MamaHouston]

I have the same issue with my 18 week old black sex link. It just looks like a swollen eye lid with no puss, no bit mark, clear eyes, still eating, still drinking. I'm brand new to keeping chickens and am panicked that it is viral but it hasn't spread. How is your chicken doing?

 

[Chickenchick11]

Hi @MamaHouston !

I'm not at home right now, but I will hopefully be able to post pics of Snow White's eyes later today. I haven't been home for the past few days, but as far as I know her eye swelling is gone and she's still acting normal. Can you post pictures of your chicken's eyes?