Ailing wee Pea

[Garden Peas]

Oh dear. The little purple pied spalding hen chick was not looking cheerful all day, and spent most of the day in the bird house. When I went on first egg patrol this evening, I found her outside the bird house, crouching in a corner in the dark. The big hen sometimes kicks her out, but I hadn't found her in the corner before.

She scooted back inside eventually and flew up on the perch. The SP male starting reaching for her and she was craning her head and neck down and as far away as she could.

When I did the next egg patrol an hour later, she was back outside, crouched in a different corner. So figured I needed to bring her in. Took a trip to the store for a suitable container (but ended up carrying her in wrapped in a towel), also bought a scale. She weighs almost exactly 1400 gms, and is definitely not feeling well.

When I set her down on the scale, she provided the obligatory poop, which looks fine. But as I was holding her, I noticed that her right eye is cloudy and there is some swelling. I don't see any obvious injury. Am guessing this must be a sinus infection, though unsure since the eyeball itself is cloudy. We took photos and will post in a bit.

I have Baytril 100, I'm thinking 0.3 ml is an appropriate dose at her weight. @casportpony can you confirm? Or anybody that's given Baytril lately? I'm thinking that's the right dose using 20 mg/kg.

She's pretty subdued, but otherwise is much calmer than one would expect.

Thanks!

 

[Garden Peas]

Ok, photos now. It is the right eye which looks to be the problem.



You can see that the right eye is swollen when it is closed...



When it is open, you can see the bluish cloudiness in it. Also, you cannot see it well in the photo, but it looks to me as though the tissues towards the front of the eye are reddened.



The scale bounced around a bit from 1380 to 1400, but finally settled out at almost exactly 1400 gm.



Her left eye is fine

 

[Garden Peas]

I apologize, I failed to photograph the poop that she thoughtfully placed on the scale... I was so focused on getting her weight that I wiped it up so the scale wouldn't be slippery.

But it looked totally normal. She has been remarkably calm through the process so far. Not sure she is gonna like the meds part next.

 

[Garden Peas]

Okay, she's now had 0.3 ml baytril orally, and I dug the poop back out of the trash. It's a little mashed and mangled, but you get the picture:



Not runny, not off color, just looks like poo from bird eating crumble. It was previously wadded up in paper towel, so got kinda mashed up.

 

[thndrdancr]

Good luck with her, garden peas. So sorry she is ailing.

 

[casportpony]

Hmm, not what I expected. looks almost like she has a scratch on her eyeball.

-Kathy

 

[Garden Peas]

Hmm, not what I expected. looks almost like she has a scratch on her eyeball.

-Kathy

I can't see any scratch or injury, but it is swollen and cloudy. I've never had a pea with a sinus infection, but am thinking this must be one... unless eyeball got injured somehow. But again, I don't see anything, and I'm thinking I have read lots of posts from folks with peas with swollen eyeballs who turned out to have sinus infections.

I'd be glad to be enlightened...

Just want her to be okay.

 

[casportpony]

Can you take a really close look at it with some reading glasses of magnifier?

-Kathy

 

[Garden Peas]

Can you take a really close look at it with some reading glasses of magnifier?

-Kathy

I looked at it without my glasses

from a couple inches away... no magnifier handy

Can you see in the photo where it is kinda bulging a bit? But there's no visible scratches or injury. The eyeball itself looks swollen. But I think it is coming from within the eyeball itself.

 

[KsKingBee]

Looks like she has been pecked on or near the eye. It doesn't look like sinus to me from what I can see in the picture.