Chickens eyes have foamy bubbles in the corner?

[cbeth95]

I just noticed that one of my hens has foamy bubbles in the corners of both eyes. Shes eating and drinking. It got really hot really fast today, would that have something to do with it? I'm not really sure what it is or whats wrong, so if someone could please help that would be great.

Thanks.

Edited to add:

What can I do to treat the issue?

 

[jbowyer01]

It could be a respiratory issue.

 

[Barrdwing]

Foamy bubbles in the corner of the eye often mean that there's inflammation involving the eye and tear duct. This can happen when there's a foxtail in the eye, but respiratory diseases can also cause this sign (think of sinusitis). Some respiratory diseases in chickens are really contagious and dangerous to the flock. Have there been any new birds added, or any visiting birds or people who keep chickens? If so, contagious disease is really high on the list and you need to consult a vet and watch the rest of the flock very closely.

I would separate this bird from the rest so that you can monitor her and also to try to give her a low-stress environment to help her fight this. Separating her at this point might not stop signs from appearing in other birds, since diseases spread fast, but you can at least help this one by giving her her own space, food, and water. If you have foxtail grass in your area, check the eyes for foxtails; it would be unusual to have them in both eyes, but not impossible.

If other birds start showing signs, the matter could be serious, and I'd visit a vet who sees poultry. Good luck!

 

[cbeth95]

Quote:
No birds have been added and nobody has been visiting. I went out to check on her and her eyes are completely clear. Very weird.

 

[Barrdwing]

OK, good on several counts, then.

Maybe she just had some kind of irritant in both eyes. I'd be inclined to keep a close watch on her for several days, and if there are any funny signs with the rest of the flock, that would be worrisome.

Seems to me that when our birds had their pox outbreak, one of the first signs I noticed was that some of the birds had bubbly eye discharge that came and went. A week or two later, other birds got pretty sick. With pox, some birds will have bubbly eyes, some will have funny little round scabs or discolored bumps on their facial skin, and some will wheeze. The wheezers are in trouble and need help; the others tend to get over the virus on their own, unless the bumps on the face become large and extensive. Pox is a pain in the neck, but once they've had it, they're immune to that strain.

 

[cbeth95]

Quote:
Thanks so much. I'll keep an eye on everyone, especially the one that had issues with her eye.

 

[fourfeatherfarm]

Hi! We also experienced fowl pox a couple of weeks ago and now 2 young chickens have bubbles and swollen hot eyes. I have been using Vertx but wondering if they need an antiobiotic??

 

[lynx04]

So I too seem to be currently experiencing an outbreak of pox. My one chicken had it and really had some horrible scabs on her eyes. However, I didn't really give her the correct treatment right away because I thought it was a peck (she's doing fine now, btw). Now that I know the signs, I saw one of my other chickens have it and started treatment early and she's doing really well (other than being annoyed at being isolated from the other chickens and the treatment). This morning I noticed bubbles in the eyes of one of my other girls. After reading this thread I immediately took her in and administered a hot saline compress, followed by some antibiotic ophthalmological ointment I had leftover from the first chicken, followed by a slathering of vaseline around her eyes and on her comb. That way, if it is pox, the scab might not be very bad if their exposed area is slick (my thinking is the virus won't be able to stick to the surface). I'm not sure if this will make a difference, but I'm hoping it will.