Foamy Eye...

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sarahs31

sarahs31

In the Brooder
11 Years
Apr 20, 2008
76
0
39
Waukesha, WI
Picked up one of my favorites and noticed a slightly foamy eye. Of course, my mind runs to the worst immediately. Is there any reason that a chicken would have a foamy eye besides some dreaded disease? We have no new introductions but do have a large wild bird population in the area.

Hen is acting normal, not sneezing or wheezing. She's been isolated and NOT happy about it! Any thoughts?
 
Foamy eyes are an almost certain indication of a brewing respiratory illness.
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Because it is contagious (it is most likely Chronic respiratory disease or coryza - CRD is the most likely) you'll want to separate her from her buddies and also keep her buddies separate from your flock. Treat the sick hen with one of the following: tylan soluble powder (for 10 days- don't eat the eggs for 2 weeks afterwards), gallimycin soluble (10 days, same with the eggs), tylan injectable given orally at a dose of 35 mg/kg three times a day for 4 days, then twice a day for another 4 days, baytril at 15 mg/kg twice a day orally for 7 days, lincospectin injectable (given subcutaneously) at a dose of 40-60 mg/kg once a day for 7 days.
 
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"picked up" as in... cuddled with
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....She hasn't been moved around but I too, am worried about the brewing resp illness. I'll stop on my way into town and pick up the medications. Oh boy....the stress of being a chicken mama.
 
lol im only a young teenager and i too know the stresses of being a chicky mommy lol
and i hope your baby gets better :]
 
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Foamy eyes? Definite ageement from me... it's most likely mycoplasma and needs treating with Tylan, which I can tell you from personal experience can restore the health of an affected bird within 5 days (that's if you use the soluble stuff and can definitely observe her drinking it). I imagine injectible works even faster.

So good luck - if it is mycoplasma, she should be fine after the meds
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(Do beware she'll be a carrier for life though, so keep the leftover Tylan safe in case she has a future relapse.)
 
Yes, birds with Mycoplasma become carriers for life and it also passes into the egg - fine for consumption because it's not zoonotic, but any chicks hatched will also have it.
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The rest of your chickens probably have it, too, but aren't showing signs. Sorry!
 
I went back out after supper and checked on her and her eyes are perfectly clear..no foam, no rednessed. I left her in quarintine for the evening. I 'll see what today brings. Weird. WOnder if she had something in her eye. It was pretty windy here yesterday.
 
Even if she seems fine, I would leave her in quarantine for the next couple days just to be certain. This most definitely is nothing to play around with. Southernbelle will tell you that one. I'm not saying that you are wrong, but foamy eyes are usually a sign of something serious.

As far as not knowing where the illness came from goes, you could have brought it home on your shoes, car tires, feed bag, or even your clothes when you went to the feed store last. Someone that has an infected flock could go to the feed store and carry the illness with them. It is always best to where different clothes and shoes when going from the feed store to the coop for that reason.

Good luck with your hen! I am hoping that everything turns out okay.
 
Isn't that the truth. Though, I think my main problem is that we've got LOTS of wild birds around here and are in the migration flight path and I try to forget that resident and non-resident ones most likely are carrying something! Uuugh. West Nile...CRD...or any of the other many pathogenic things. Any cough, sniffle or sneeze and my chickens or children for that matter are coming down with something horrific. It was awful when I was in college taking my medical Bacterialogy or Mycology classes. I know we were all coming down with Tuleremia or plague or something equally awful! I'm stopping by for some antibiotics this afternoon.

I did read through your account from last year or so and of course, simply horrified by it all.
 

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