Bubby eye, foul odor

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

I went to an outdoor flea market earlier today, and purchased a pair of lavender buff orpington pullets. It was drizzling rain, and a bit breezy, and many of the hens were lying down with their eyes closed. People were buying them left and right, and I figured if I didn't hurry up, I would miss my chance at having any. They are rather good-looking birds. I scooped the best looking pair remaining, and put them in the cage in the bed of my truck. It wasn't until I got home and was unloading them that I noticed the odor. I put the cage in my basement, and the odor was pretty bad... basically a stench. I put in bedding, water, and feed, and it didn't take long before both were eating and drinking. Most of the LBO's had their eyes closed while in the cage at the flea market, but I didn't know how long they had been in the cage (it was packed), or how long the trip to the market was for them. I thought they were just tired. Judging by their feathers, it looked like they had been cramped in that cage for quite some time. Anyway, I haven't seen any sneezing, wheezing, rakes, or nasal discharge. When they are awake, they stand good and look fairly healthy... except one had small bubble in it's eyes. It also appears that the bottom eye lids droop. I have narrowed it down to possibly MG, but I'd really like to get several second opinions. If it is, is there a known cure? Thanks in advance. Here is a picture of both, and a closeup of the one with the bubbly, droopy eyes:

 

[Chickobsessed17]

I'm having similar issues! Anxious to hear what people say...

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Here's a video that may show the problem a little better than pictures:

Since the video was made, my wife and I put some Similasan drops in her eyes. The swelling under her right eye was gone, and she seemed much more comfortable after the drops were in. I did notice some red skin along the feather line above her right eye, which makes me suspect pecking...

 

[simon the hen]

There are a lot of reasons for foam in the eye. We wont suspect the worst, so we will treat her first for a foreign body or a light infection due to dirt.

Get some help and fixate the hen, then flush her eye CAREFULLY with clean lukewarm water OR one of these contact lens fluids.
After that, wipe the eye, CAREFULLY again, with a clean piece of toilet paper or a paper towel.
Repeat this process 2 times a day for a few days and watch how it developes. If there is no change, or if it gets worse, you need to get to a Vet and let him take a sample to the lab to find out what bacteria is at fault.

 

[Eggcessive]

Watery eyes and swelling can be MG or coryza, while a bad odor could be coryza. The hen in the video looks like she is extending her neck to breathe. I would keep these chickens quarantined, and be careful to use good biosecurity measures. Testing would be a good thing to do to tell if they are sick, since most respiratory diseases can make your whole flock carriers for life.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Watery eyes and swelling can be MG or coryza, while a bad odor could be coryza. The hen in the video looks like she is extending her neck to breathe. I would keep these chickens quarantined, and be careful to use good biosecurity measures. Testing would be a good thing to do to tell if they are sick, since most respiratory diseases can make your whole flock carriers for life.

Thanks for the reply. They haven't been anywhere close to my flock, and are in quarantine. After studying up on infectious coryza, she seems to have many of the classic symptoms. If so, the other isn't far behind. I haven't seen any sneezing, and if definitely no loss of appetite. These two act like they were imported from Ethiopia, because they would spend about 10 minutes drinking, then 10 minutes eating, and start the cycle over again. I'm not going to get my hopes up, though. I've considered taking them to the vet when I get back on Tuesday, but I probably won't. I only paid $30 for the pair, and to tag a vet bill on a pair of birds that I'm more than likely going to have to put down isn't something I relish the thought of. I think it's best to learn from mistake, and cut my losses before it gets expensive.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good link containing symptoms of the different respiratory and other diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
If you suspect coryza, I would cull them and either burn the carcasses or bury them deeply. Sulfadimethoxine and Sulmet can be used to treat symptoms, but the disease will keep reappearing. You do not want your other chickens exposed.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Here is a good link containing symptoms of the different respiratory and other diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
If you suspect coryza, I would cull them and either burn the carcasses or bury them deeply. Sulfadimethoxine and Sulmet can be used to treat symptoms, but the disease will keep reappearing. You do not want your other chickens exposed.

Thanks again for the reply. I had already come across that link, and the symptoms are classic for coryza. My small flock is healthy and laying well, so I don't want to risk losing any of them, or any loss of egg production. While one is very alert and very healthy looking, the other isn't any better this evening, and it has very runny diarrhea. Not sure if the healthy one has recovered already, or hasn't started showing symptoms. I've decided to stop by and talk to the local vet to see how much the coryza test will cost, and if it's not too bad, I'll have them tested. If it's not reasonable, I'll just have to put them down. Will know by noon tomorrow...

 

[Chickobsessed17]

Is there no cure for Coryza?!

 

[Sonya9]

Is there no cure for Coryza?!

Depends on what you mean by "cure". From what I have read most chickens do recover after 2-3 weeks but they are carriers so they can spread the disease to new birds.