Alaskan Snow Pheasant chick needs help ...

[angsaidso]

Hi there ...

I hatched three Alaskan Snows three days ago. They were a little weaker than I like to see fresh out of the egg, but they were up in no time and, considering the length of their legs, it was fascinating to me! They've been fine, eating, drinking running ... acting normal like little babies should. But today only one of them has swollen eyes. He doesn't want to open them, they look red and irritated around the eyelids. Do birds get pink eye? He's not trying to scratch them, but it does seem if I very gently wash them off with warm water on a QTip he acts better and opens them albeit briefly. Obviously he HAS to see to eat and drink, so I am very concerned ... he's the only one of the three showing any issues and he has not been exposed to anything new in those three days. Any ideas? I can take a picture of his eyes if someone wants to see them. Thanks for any suggestions ...

 

[chickenzoo]

Sounds like a respiratory infection. It shows up as swollen watery eyes, swollen sins infant of eye... Etc. I use Tylan injectable cattle med. You can put a drop in its beak for a few days.

 

[angsaidso]

Which Tylan do I buy? 50? 150? 200? And his eyes are not runny. Actually they are dry and crusty. Which is probably why he likes it when I wash them with warm water on a QTip. I will stop on my way home. Doesn't Tylan do muscle damage at the injection site? What will it do if given directly by mouth??

 

[chickenzoo]

Tylan 50 is fine for your situation. If i do injections it is under the skin. In chicks i do a drop on the tip of the beak and let them swallow it. It is used here for most birds in that way. Respiratory issues can be caused by different things and show different symptoms. It could have gotten chilled or been exposed to something. If it is not being pecked in the eyes by others..... if they are not in a dusty environment and.if on shavings they are clean....then respiratory illness is most likely.

 

[angsaidso]

I've kept them very clean. I did think that maybe he had been pecked by another chick until it appeared in both eyes. Today he seems better ... Eyes not so sore looking and he is still eating and drinking fine. When you give the Tylan, are you using a drop of a syringe needle? I would assume inside omg their size this would be enough. They are so nice looking and even better when they grow up ... I don't want anything to happen to them.

 

[chickenzoo]

Yes just a drop from a small three ml syringe or so. If you place it on the tip of their beak it will slide inbeteen it and they will swollow the yucky stuff....You can also put some in a soda cap and dip their beak in once as you rub the back of their head... Causing them to swallow. I don't like to force it down them as they could aspirate . I like Baytril for infections but it's not good to use on babies as it can cause leg issues... Best wishes for your babies, I've never kept snow pheasants....

 

[kartking22]

Since I am not a vet but have raised pheasants for over 5 years, I am not a pheasant doctor nor an expert. I do not know of anyone that IS an expert and knows all about game birds. They are hard to raise whether in the wild or in captivity. Pheasants are in fact hard to raise. They are more stupid than chickens. A pheasant chick does not know what food is and will eat anything that looks good. This includes the bedding that you put under them to thier own poo. If they eat either, They will die. Wood shavings for bedding is like killing half of your chicks. You are lucky if you have 60% survive. Second killer of chicks is thier own poo. They will die if they eat this. Keep your pen clean.

 

[angsaidso]

Kartking, I keep my pens extremely clean and make sure I have a starter chick with anything new so that they learn to eat and drink. If I don't have the availability of a starter chick, I spend time sitting play in the food (Clean hands of course) to entice them to come check it out and put shiny marbles in their water which always does the trick there. I have used wood shavings right along for all of my chicks with a towel or rag over the top for the first few days. Keeping them in rubbermaid tubs tends to splay the legs if you dont have something other than wood chips since they slide around a lot.

I have dealt with pheasants before but never had a problem which is why I ask about the dry crusty eyes. My other pheasants for this year are already outside and roaming coming back at night to roost along with the chukars and turkeys. I don't think they know they're pheasants yet, but once they do realize it I am not expecting to see them come home anymore.

Ang