Foam in one eye - only one bird

So I'm new here (And very new to chickens, having adopted them only several months ago), I figured I would just push on with my most pressing question~

My amerucana/easter egger has been having some foamy discharge in one of her eyes. I've looked up possible causes for this, and my guess is that it could be related to a parasite that only this chicken appears to have? I'm not sure if that's possible, but none of the other chickens seems to have that symptom. I'm unsure what to do. For some reason feeding her some food with DE sprinkled over it seems to lessen the symptoms, but after doing this for a week straight it has returned. She's constantly scratching that eye, so being able to tell if it's swollen from the problem or from her scratching is impossible but it really doesn't look too swollen to me.

She also appears to have issues eating, she wiggles her head and appears to be gasping at times, but she eats a lot of food in bigger bites than she should, IDK if this could be crop related? She's a very moody chicken, her behavior is very different from the other chickens so it's hard to tell sometimes if she's upset in general or if this issue is causing any extra mood variation.... she has been having this problem for at least a few months and actually I think she's gaining weight which I figured I should mention.

Any help would be very appreciated, now that they are awake after I get home from work it will be easier to explore any avenues in a more timely manner.

Thanks so much in advance!

I would isolate this hen immediately. Bubbly eyes can be a symptom of highly contagious respiratory diseases. Put her someplace warm, dim, and quiet. A dog crate in the garage with a heat lamp is ideal.

You said she's stretching out her neck? It's possible, since she pigs out, that she adjusting the food in her crop. If you see her do this after she eats, it's likely that is the cause.

To treat for eye worm, you can use Valbazen (liquid wormer - available at Tractor Supply for goats) mixed with equal parts of water and put it in the eyes. It will kill eye worm. Then use 1/2cc dose of Valbazen and give it to them orally...repeat in 10 days. There is a withdrawal period, but if you've never wormed your flock before, Valbazen is a good one to use.

You can also treat eye worm with Vet RX, but I don't have any information on that... I'm sure Google does, though.

It would be a good idea, too, to check her from comb to claw for mites and lice!

MrsB

I have seen lice on one of my chickens and added DE to the dust bath. Haven't inspected them recently, what are the treatment options for that?

Is the fact that the DE helped the symptoms an indicator that it's worms and not an infection? She has already been with the other chickens this whole time so if it's contageous I think I should assume they all have it?

What type of climate do you live in? Eye worm is found only in warm, tropical climates where the Surinam cockroach lives, and is fairly rare. Follow Mrs. Brookes' directions for worming treatment for eyeworm. Foam in the eyes can be a sign of respiratory infection, but it also can be from a peck wound. So I would look carefully for any peck marks, but also look for noisy breathing, nasal drainage, or swelling in the face.

I live around Seattle, is precautionary treatment for any type of worms (is there a broad spectrum de-wormer?) a good idea even if you're not sure if they have worms? She growls a lot but I don't think she has any respratory problems or peck wounds. I have some antibiotics but I haven't been able to accurately measure them out yet so I haven't started them... I suppose I should and hope maybe that helps?

Most chickens get some worms, and many people treat them either after a vet has found them during a stool examination, or as a twice a year preventative treatment (that will vary with your climate.) If you don't feel that she has any other respiratory symptoms, then you can treat the eye with saline to cleanse it, and antibiotic ointment (Terramycin or Nesporin) or Vetericyn Eye Gel twice a day. If more symptoms show up, then antibiotics such as Tylan, Tetracycline, or Gallimycin can be used to help treat symptoms. Some diseases may be viruses, where antibiotics may not be needed, or can be used to help prevent secondary infections. Here is a good link to read about the symptoms of common respiratory diseases such as infectious bronchitis, MG, coryza, ILT, and aspergillosis: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Can conditions in the coop be responsible for the eyes being foamy? We haven't done a thorough cleaning of the coop yet..?

I don't see anything on that list that sounds specifically like what might be going on. But to note, the chicken in question has been breaking eggs more recently, as well as the buff Orpington. I have also noticed that the feathers on many of the chickens bottoms have been soiled with their droppings.. I can try to watch out for green diahrrea which seems to be an indicator of several things...

One of my ladies just had this a few weeks ago. We got 6 new birds and when they finally joined the rest, it rained for 3 days. Usually my old ladies were smart enough to stay inside, but for whatever reason they were all running around in the rain. They looked like wet rats :|

A few days later I noticed that one of the old ladies was sitting down a lot and she didn't seem to be doing normal chicken stuff. I went up to her and it was like she couldn't see me, then when I saw her face one eye was completely shut and the other seemed to be foamy like you described. I actually thought that someone pecked her eyes out.

My father-in-law said to go to Orschelns and get antibiotics, then dose the whole flock because if one of them had it all of them would probably get it. You can get a generic antibiotic powder packet (works for cows, sheep, goats, poultry) without a script. It is a yellowy powder that mixes with water and looks like pee. The mix is only good for 24 hours, so just mix up a gallon or whatever at a time. It turns a dark yellow/black once it gets oxidized too long.

We dosed all of them and my husband used a warm wash cloth to wipe her eyes down so that she could see for a while. We kept the initial culprit separate for a few days and then put her back in and all of them but one has been good since (that other one has some extra issues).

I put some neosporin on the corner of her eye where the foam tends to buildup... I don't think what she has is quite as bad as what you described craz beets but there was something on that list that eggcessive posted that mentioned eyes being so bad they were shut. If the neosporin doesn't work I will try something in the water next... I might just do it anyway in case it has spread and I just don't realize it... Good luck with your new flock crazybeets!