Chicken Eye Problem.

[GrantKazSpaz]

So about three months ago I started noticing a watery eye in one of my chickens. I asked some of my chickens owning friends about it, and they said it was just an eye infection, and they told me to get this vetericyn eye stuff. I used this stuff for about a month, but it wasn’t working. So I posted it on this website, and someone said the water coming from her eye was bubbly. They said it might be a respiratory infection. She had had it it for a month so I decided not to treat her (and also because my parents wouldn’t let me buy medicine for her). I also didn’t quarantine her because she had been exposed to the others for about a month and I figured they would’ve already caught it so there was nothing I could do. I let it be. However, I kept putting the vetericyn on just in case. It has been two months since then, and nothing has changed. She hasn’t gotten better or any worse. None of the others have showed symptoms at all. Any ideas on what this could be?

 

[azygous]

Educated guesses are all we can offer here, but we do out best to come as close as we can to figuring out what's going on with our feathered pals.

If your chicken's watery eye is caused by a virus, it may not respond to a medicine designed for bacteria, and most respiratory infections have a virus at their core, although bacterial infections can grow from the virus being present.

Another thing it could be, and I have a ten-year old hen with this, is some sort of cyst or tumor putting pressure on the eye, causing it to water. My hen began to get a tiny bump over one eye, that has tripled in size over the last five years. It does no harm except for causing the eye to run and sometimes bubble.

If your chicken has an eye infection, and there really are no simple eye infections since they all have the potential to cause blindness, the eye may appear to have a pink film over it which can become white and opaque as the infection destroys the eye. An ophthalmic antibiotic is what you want to use on it.

 

[BeverlyH]

Ok I dont know how to start my own post so I am hoping this may get an answer even though this thread is older, my Splash roo is having the same type of problem, it started with a runny eye, he had feathers irritating the eye so I cut the feathers down hoping that would solve the problem but it didnt, so I treat him and his coop mates (3 hens) with Denagaurd in their water (thinking it may have turned respiratory or may turn respiratory though no respiratory symptoms were present) that did nothing, the girl have no symptoms at all. So after stopping denagard for a couple days I gave him Tylan shots to his breast for 4-5 days. Again nothing. I have washed his eye put a couple times with Vetericyn Antimicrobial ophthalmic gel still no difference. No discharge from nasals no coughing/wheezing. Lungs sound fine to me at least. It's only the one eye (the other eye did start getting a tad watery before antibiotics but no other chicken in the pen has watery eyes, he has never been separated because I figured like the OP that they were already exposed anyway) I do see a white dot in the corner of the eye that is a problem, it kinda looks like a sty really. Idk I'm at a lost as to how I help him I hope you can see the dot in the pictures. His eye did crust over before I cut his feathers and before anti

 

[MickWithChicks]

@BeverlyH: Single eye, no other signs of issues, and nobody else affected, this sounds like a potential issue with ammonia in the coop.

How often do you clean the coop? Has it rained recently causing issues with wet waste? If you put your head around where they sleep, is there a distinct ammonia smell? What's the ventilation like in the coop?

Other diseases could include Psittacosis or Mycoplasma gallisepticum. One of mine recently had a case of Psittacosis, which was easily cleared up with Doxycycline.

 

[Eggcessive]

The eye looks like conjunctivitis which can be caused by mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) although other bacteria, such as pseudomonas or E.coli could be responsible. The Denagard would probably only treat MG, so I would ask a vet to get a culture. You can also get PCR blood testing for MG, but each state differs in how easily you can get testing. Since you treated with both Denagard and Tylan, I would check to see if the chicken was getting the maximum dosage. That can be tricky with a bad tasting medicine in the water. Tylan can be given orally as well as by injection. I usually recommend oral administration of Tylan 50 to prevent muscle damage, and the dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given 3 time a day for 5 days. If in your case there is no improvement, I would wonder if it was caused by another secondary bacteria, so the culture would be helpful. If there is a bad odor, it might be infectious coryza which can be treated with bactrim or other sulfa.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can start a new thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/create-thread

Or you can go up to Forums then scroll down to Emergencies, click on that, and you will see “Post a new thread.”

 

[BeverlyH]

The eye looks like conjunctivitis which can be caused by mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) although other bacteria, such as pseudomonas or E.coli could be responsible. The Denagard would probably only treat MG, so I would ask a vet to get a culture. You can also get PCR blood testing for MG, but each state differs in how easily you can get testing. Since you treated with both Denagard and Tylan, I would check to see if the chicken was getting the maximum dosage. That can be tricky with a bad tasting medicine in the water. Tylan can be given orally as well as by injection. I usually recommend oral administration of Tylan 50 to prevent muscle damage, and the dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given 3 time a day for 5 days. If in your case there is no improvement, I would wonder if it was caused by another secondary bacteria, so the culture would be helpful. If there is a bad odor, it might be infectious coryza which can be treated with bactrim or other sulfa.

No bad odor, I read that Tylan injectable given orally can cause burning of the esophagus, I know I can buy Tylan soluble but would like to avoid that cost if possible since I have the injectable kinda and Denagard. I'm wondering if a different antibiotic would work? Still no other symptoms in the group, I didnt separate him still. No ammonia smell, they are indoors at the moment they hatched late in the season and ai felt bad putting them outside in the cold, was just going to house them all winter, they are set up in the spare room with a large "yard pen enclosure" attached to a dog kennel there are pine shavings as bedding and it gets cleaned weekly since it's in the house, they do share the "chicken room" as it has been dubbed, with a brooder of chicks that have been staggered hatched since Christmas. (Cage is on other side of the room, about 10 feet different and a 4 ft height difference.) I'm starting to think that something got into his eye or an injury happened to his eye and it caused a secondary infection or something as it seems to not be contagious, at this point it's been about a month plus since the first time I noticed his eyes were watery/crusty. I'm at a loss. He does seem to have a little less mass than the females he is in with (like he didnt feel well and didnt eat as much?) But when I offer fruits or veggie he is the first to come and the last to leave, he does eat. Aggh Chickens are not for the faint of heart lol

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No bad odor, I read that Tylan injectable given orally can cause burning of the esophagus, I know I can buy Tylan soluble but would like to avoid that cost if possible since I have the injectable kinda and Denagard. I'm wondering if a different antibiotic would work? Still no other symptoms in the group, I didnt separate him still. No ammonia smell, they are indoors at the moment they hatched late in the season and ai felt bad putting them outside in the cold, was just going to house them all winter, they are set up in the spare room with a large "yard pen enclosure" attached to a dog kennel there are pine shavings as bedding and it gets cleaned weekly since it's in the house, they do share the "chicken room" as it has been dubbed, with a brooder of chicks that have been staggered hatched since Christmas. (Cage is on other side of the room, about 10 feet different and a 4 ft height difference.) I'm starting to think that something got into his eye or an injury happened to his eye and it caused a secondary infection or something as it seems to not be contagious, at this point it's been about a month plus since the first time I noticed his eyes were watery/crusty. I'm at a loss. He does seem to have a little less mass than the females he is in with (like he didnt feel well and didnt eat as much?) But when I offer fruits or veggie he is the first to come and the last to leave, he does eat. Aggh Chickens are not for the faint of heart lol

I agree with @Eggcessive on POST#5
Looks like an eye infection.

How have you been treating this? Flushing, ointment?
Have you pressed on the eye to see if pus will come out?
If you have Tylan50 you can treat him with that. It's possible like any medication that it could burn the esophagus, you can always give him a teaspoon of yogurt after you give him the Tylan to help with that. Denagard is used to treat MG, so if you think this is a respiratory disease, you can try that instead. I've heard that it's very bitter so you need to add something like a little fruit juice (unsweetened) to help make it more palatable.

Since they are in the house - how much ventilation is in the room?

Does he have a clogged up nostril? Have you looked inside his beak to make sure there is no mucous or lesions?

 

[Eggcessive]

Most people in the US cannot get Tylan (tylosin) soluble powder without a vet prescription. That is why many use Tylan 50 injectable orally. I have given it orally without any problems, but I have also mixed it into a small amount of egg plus plain yogurt on top of a few bread crumbs, and it disappears wuickly. Chickens can have mycoplasma or MG with very few symptoms, such as bubbles in the eye or a swollen eyelid, and it doesn’t always spread to healthier flock members. Here is some reading about MG:
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/exte... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...tion-mg-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens/

 

[BeverlyH]

I have treated with both tylan and denagard neither seemed to work, no his nostrils are not clogged the circle is not his nostril, it is up farther on his nose. Again no coughing, sneezing or rattled breathing no others have been affected. I have just started with antibotic eye ointment Terramycin and bought Duramycin injectable as well but havent started it because I started to re-treat with the danagard per someones recommendation but I think I want to stop that (unsure if I should stop before the treatment days are over though because I dont want to build resistance to it but idk if it will build resistance if it isnt helping anyway)