Broody hen can't open eyes

[Phishphen]

Last week I noticed our broody hens right eye lid was red and a little swollen. Like a red ring around her eyeboll. She acted normal. A few days later the right eye was closed but no longer red around it. The left eye lid looked a little swollen a few days ago but not red like the right eye. the next day it too was closed. She is 18 months old and currently 10 days into sitting on fertilized eggs. Both eyes are closed. What can we do to get her eyes open. We tried our best to clean around the right eye and applied a little bit of neosporin. We also spraying Vetricyn on her eyes. What else can we do or are we doing it wrong. Thanks

The picture of right eye that looks really nasty is just neosproin. There apprears to be no puss or fluid coming from either eyes either. No fowl smell either. Also the pics with her left eye open was the day before it closed.

 

[Suzie]

How is her breathing ? Any respiratory noises ?

Have you recently treated the flock for any lice/mite problems ?

By any chance do any of them have scaly leg mites...? May sound silly but scaly leg mites can affect the head area..

 

[Phishphen]

When we were holding her to clean eye we did notice a little bit of congestion.. Never treated flock for muted or lice. We dusted the area last week where she is nesting with DE. Is that sufficient?
As for scaly leg mites idk. The other chickens legs look ok but never checked the broody hen.

 

[Phishphen]

I did notice that when she came out of coup to eat drink and poop that she was scratching her head and picking at her feathers with her beak (like when a cat cleans themselves.) more than usual with almost a purpose of trying to get something (like when a dog feels a flea on them). Idk if I can explain it well

 

[XxMingirlxX]

For now contact your vet, I don't know enough to tell you, but it can't be good, hang in there girl x

 

[Suzie]

DE is not sufficient for treating a mite nor lice infestation...you will need Sevin dust or Permethryn to kill any lice / mites...the chickens should be dusted with powder under their wings and around their vent areas...the coop will need to be treated and all bedding burned! Re-treat all in 7 -10 days to erradicate any hatching lice/mites...

 

[Eggcessive]

Swelling around an eye and congestion may point to a respiratory disease, such as MG or coryza. Coryza tends to have a very bad odor, and worse symptoms. Tylan 50 would be a good antibiotic to use for 3 to 5 days, either as an injection into the breast muscle or given orally--dosage is 1/4 ml for bantams, 1/2 ml for standard size under 5 lb, and 1 ml for over 5 lb, given daily for 3 (injection)-5(orally) days. Here is a good link to read about these and other respiratory diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Phishphen]

Thank you for the replies. I think I have some sevin in my garden supplies. I'll treat her and the coup and clean everything out.
I looked up info on mg and coryza and I have access to gallimycin which gets mix with their water. How do I get her to drink medicated water if she can't see?
Do I keep applying neosporin on the eyes?

 

[Suzie]

You can try to give her medicated water in a needleless syringe...no harm in keeping up the neosporin treatment to her eyes...

Good luck...and keep posting on her progress...

 

[Eggcessive]

In this link it says that gallimycin (erythromycin) dosage should be between 5 mg and 17 mg per lb of weight. If she won't drink, you could look at your packaging, and figure out how to mix a concentrate to give that dose over the course of the day in 2 to 3 divided doses, until she starts drinking the water. This link is the only one I could find: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/459979/how-much-gallimycin-to-give-a-sneezing-chicken
Gallimycin PFC Indications


Dosage of Erythromycin Phosphate
Chronic Respiratory Disease

1/2 g/gal of drinking water for 5 days
Infectious Coryza

1/2 g/gal of drinking water for 7 days
Bluecomb (Non-specific Infectious Enteritis)

1/2 g/gal of drinking water for 7 days
MIXING INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRINKING WATER:
Add one (1) package (250 g) per 130 gallons and mix thoroughly. For proportioners which meter 1 oz/gal, add one (1) package (250 g) to each gallon of stock solution.
In chickens, this dosage provides 5.0 to 17.8 mg/lb and, in turkeys, 3.1 to 34.2 mg/lb body weight per bird per day of erythromycin activity depending upon age, class of chicken (or turkey), feed conversion, environmental temperature, and relative humidity during medication period.