Chicken with bubbly eye(s) ... and no other symptoms

[rbc-bow-chicka]

So I've had my 3 yo Polish in the hospital cage for 3 weeks tomorrow. She had looked a little off so I brought her in . Upon inspection, one eye was bubbly....and the next day, the second one started with the bubbles. She has absolutely no other symptoms suggesting respiratory illness. Additionally, she is eating, drinking, pooping.... all normal.

Immediately, I added oxytetracycline to her drinking water thinking respiratory.... and after several days, there was no improvement, so I moved on to Pen G for 3 days...as I began to suspect e Coli (see below). Still no improvement. Then I read on here about "eye worms." So I tried valbazen in the eye and orally. Still bubbly.

I figured I would continue to watch her....and research....

She is STILL bubbly.... and still chatty...and normal in every other way. She is NOT laying.... which MAY be significant?

Last summer, she laid what I believe to be 2 lash eggs. I'd noticed she was isolating... treated her with antibiotics in the event of peritonitis.... or something else (shooting in the dark...seems to be a theme)... and she recovered and went back out with the girls. That was last August or so.... so less than a year?

Does anyone have any ideas on what this is? I've trimmed back her feathers in the event she was getting them in her eyes and irritated.... that hasn't helped either. I'm at a loss.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

She could have an eye infection, which will have to be treated with antibiotics. I would recommend the shot version of Tylan 50, not the oral, as that has to be given by a vet

 

[Pyxis]

If you think it's just an eye infection, then apply some terramycin to her eyes. No need to go for a systemic antibiotic when a topical one will do.

If that doesn't work, then it's probably a respiratory infection. Finding out which one would be a good idea, but that probably won't happen unless you send out a sample to testing or have a necropsy done in the event that she dies.

Tylan 50 is a pretty broad spectrum one you can give if you try the terramycin and see no improvement. Better yet, if she has coryza, it will treat that along with mycoplasma, which tetracycline does not.

It might be a virus too, like infectious bronchitis. For that, the only thing to do is let it run its course. Antibiotics, of course, wouldn't work in that case because antibiotics are for bacterial infections and don't work on viruses.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Thanks so much for your response. We tried 3 days of tylan and still showed no improvement.... or decline... so we are continuing to watch and wonder. She is not in apparent pain or discomfort. Thank you again! R.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Thank you so much for responding to my post. She is still kicking along. We are likely going to try some eye ointment though. If it is a virus, how long do those usually stick around?! We've only had chickens for maybe the last 4 years or so.... and thankfully....this has been the only incidence of this kind. I do have a pharmaceutical arsenal at least. Ha.

 

[BeverlyH]

Thank you so much for responding to my post. She is still kicking along. We are likely going to try some eye ointment though. If it is a virus, how long do those usually stick around?! We've only had chickens for maybe the last 4 years or so.... and thankfully....this has been the only incidence of this kind. I do have a pharmaceutical arsenal at least. Ha.

Did you ever find out what it was? What happened to the chicken? I think I'm dealing with the same thing, been giving tylan no improvement gave denagard no improvement. It's just bubbly eye, no wheezing no sneezing nothing else nor did the 2 other chickens he is with ever have it. It's been going on for about a month now I think.

 

[DonnaNorton]

I would really like to hear what happened also. Dealing with this as well qith only eye bubbling. Gave Tylan 5 days... nothing has changed. No other symptoms.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Did you ever find out what it was? What happened to the chicken? I think I'm dealing with the same thing, been giving tylan no improvement gave denagard no improvement. It's just bubbly eye, no wheezing no sneezing nothing else nor did the 2 other chickens he is with ever have it. It's been going on for about a month now I think.

Oh my gosh, I am just seeing these responses now. I am reaaaallly late to answer. If I am recalling correctly, the bubbles kind of just stopped on their own in some time. She continued to on and off needing intervention of one kind or another until we finally had to put her down in 2018. At that point, I think what got her was her reproductive problem. Also, no other chickens in her coop developed the eye bubbles. I figured that they would have. I apologize for this late response!

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Did you ever find out what it was? What happened to the chicken? I think I'm dealing with the same thing, been giving tylan no improvement gave denagard no improvement. It's just bubbly eye, no wheezing no sneezing nothing else nor did the 2 other chickens he is with ever have it. It's been going on for about a month now I think.

Oh my gosh, I am just seeing these responses now. I am reaaaallly late to answer. If I am recalling correctly, the bubbles kind of just stopped on their own in some time. She continued to on and off needing intervention of one kind or another until we finally had to put her down in 2018. At that point, I think what got her was her reproductive problem. Also, no other chickens in her coop developed the eye bubbles. I figured that they would have. I apologize for this late response!