Chicken with swollen head & weird eye

[morganmo1]

Help! I have no idea what is going on here. She's had a swollen lump above her eye for at least a month and now her eye is looking funky with off-white coloring in the corner. One round of antibiotics did not help. There is no obvious issue with the skin itself. I have no idea what to do!!!

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[Eggcessive]

Does there appear to be any pus or gunk in the eye? Has she had any runny nose, eye drainage or bubbles, or ratly wheezing breathing, or sneezing? Her swelling could be due to several things, such as a respiratory disease, a peck wound that has abscessed, a tumor, or even a foreign body in the eye causing infection. Tumors can be very common, and if you haven't seen pus or respiratory symptoms, it could be that. What antibiotic did you use?

 

[morganmo1]

Thanks for the response! I have her oxytetracycline. No sneezing or wheezing. The corner of her eye looks like it could be pussy, but I think it may just be the tissues being pushed out. The rest of the flock is find-she is the only one with this problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get a close-up picture of the eye? Does the tissue over the eye feel hard or soft? A tumor would feel firm, while a sinus infection or abscess would feel soft. Can you look inside the eye for any foreign object, such as a twig or weed? Pus needs to be removed. Terramycin eye ointment can be applied to the eye to help treat infection.

 

[morganmo1]

I looked her over again. No pus inside the eye. It looks very clear and I did not see any debris. The lump is very hard in the center & soft on the sides. It seems to be getting larger I will try to get a better picture.

 

[Poppyfrida]

I looked her over again. No pus inside the eye. It looks very clear and I did not see any debris. The lump is very hard in the center & soft on the sides. It seems to be getting larger I will try to get a better picture.

Hi my Barred rock has a similar problem. Did you ever figure this out? What did you do?

 

[morganmo1]

I never did figure it out. I tried antibiotics, to no avail, and pretty much gave up after that. It is no better and no worse. Please let me know if you find anything out! I'm sure it must be uncomfortable for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

I never did figure it out. I tried antibiotics, to no avail, and pretty much gave up after that. It is no better and no worse. Please let me know if you find anything out! I'm sure it must be uncomfortable for her.

Do you think it could be a cyst or tumor? Has it grown any? Did any others get respiratory symptoms? I have occasionally seen some tumors around the eye that looked like a respiratory sinus infection.

 

[shanopaint]

any further info? This looks like what my chicken has. I thought she had MG but now not so sure.

 

[Eggcessive]

any further info? This looks like what my chicken has. I thought she had MG but now not so sure.

A swollen eye or sinus can be from MG, coryza, or from other bacteria (such as E.coli,) from a tumor, or from a foreign body (such as a seed pod or dirt in the eye.) A thorough inspection of the eye and removal of any solid pus would be in order. A vet could help with antibiotics if it's infected, but Tylan or tetracycline drugs from a feed store can help with a respiratory infection. A vet or your local county extension agent could help get testing for the chicken.