Brahma rooster blinded by pecking injury - when or if to reintroduce to flock, or seek veterinary care?

[azygous]

Your rooster brought back memories of a favorite roo I had many years ago. Penrod, a Buff Brahma. It was before I realized I had lymphoid leucosis in my flock. My rooster suddenly began to go lame. I thought it was an injury, but it kept getting worse. He quit eating and became weak. This was before I had come to have any real experience with chickens, and I didn't know all that I could have done for him regardless of the cause of the lameness. I decided the time had come to euthanize him.

He had been inside so I could care for him and he hadn't seen his hens in a long time. I brought him outside where the hens were scratching in the dirt. He immediately came to life and tried so hard to stand up and go to the hens, but he was too weak. At the time, I didn't know that he probably was suffering nerve damage from the virus because I didn't know about the virus. Whatever the actual cause of his affliction, returning him sooner to the flock may have prolonged his life.

The reunion was heart warming. It taught me one of the first lessons I was to learn about keeping chickens - keep them all together if at all possible. Separate a chicken only when absolutely necessary.

 

[azygous]

A local artist did a painting of Penrod and me. These chickens of ours sure do affect our lives.

 

[dawg53]

Superb painting of you and Penrod. Very nice Carol!

 

[goats-n-oats]

Brahma rooster is loving his tuna rice-a-roni leftovers! Also, he does appear to now be operating the eyelids on the injured eye, for the first time since the injury.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Hi all, it doesn't look like he's healing. They eye still has that hard white object protruding from it (I cant tell if its a piece of corn lodged in the eye, or a mycoplasma growth). The eye is still producing some clear gunk, but no more yellow opaque gunk. He is still chatty but he didn't eat much of his ricearoni today and there were some bright green poops. I'll take him to a veterinarian as soon as an appointment is available, but is there anything to do to stabilize him until then? Force feed him molasses and yolk?

Edit: compared to the pictures of his eye from two days ago, the white foreign nodule looks now to be half the size as before.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! Can you offer him raw yolk and cooked ground beef. See if he'll eat it up. I would also try giving him a little bit of sweetened water to whet his appetite.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

this gentle giant was blinded by a direct pecking injury from another rooster

They eye still has that hard white object protruding from it (I cant tell if its a piece of corn lodged in the eye, or a mycoplasma growth). The eye is still producing some clear gunk, but no more yellow opaque gunk. He is still chatty but he didn't eat much of his ricearoni today and there were some bright green poops.

I'd continue to rinse the eye and put ointment in the eye at least once a day.
Sorry he seems to have stalled on healing.

You've mentioned Mycoplasma a couple of times in this thread - does your flock have Mycoplasma? Does he have other symptoms?
IF the cause of the eye going blind was from a direct pecking injury to the eye, then it's unlikely Mycoplasma unless you have Mycoplasma in your flock. It's not uncommon to see pus or discharge or infection in an eye that has been injured. You're treating it correctly from what I've read in the previous posts. Hopefully the vet visit will be productive.

Green poop can be from not eating well. Focus on him eating his normal nutritionally balanced poultry feed - you can offer it dry or made into a mash. Offer some higher protein treats like egg, fish or meat instead of Rice A Roni.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Hi all, thanks for your input. The vet said the white thing is a like a corneal scab (ulcer?). She said he's thin. She could not see to the back of the eye to test his sight because the injured area blocked it, hence probably blind. She prescribed amoxicillin (like you said), tobramycin drops for eyes, and meloxicam for pain.
I had never really spent time with this rooster, and was surprised at how alert and communicative he was.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

He's a good boy!

I'm glad you found out what that was and told us! Learn something new every day
Just going by the color of the eye, I would think he's blind too or sight is greatly reduced.
I hope the medications make a difference for him and he makes a full recovery.

Keep us posted.

 

[goats-n-oats]

I should have bought some fish MOX last week! The link you posted has been taken down since you posted!!