Cockerel with swollen eye; injury or illness?

[redinator]

Good Eye

Bad eye


I have a cockerel that I assume has an eye injury, but I need to know if it's something more serious. I've read on here some respiratory illnesses can present in the eyes first. I'm leaning more towards injury because only one eye is swollen and I'm not seeing any discharge. He's pretty calm, but he's also tame and used to being handled so I don't know if I'd say he's listless.

I brought him in earlier this morning after I noticed he was standing around puffed up and not his talkative self begging for treats and scratches, that's when I noticed the swollen eye. He's eaten a bit since I brought him and his poops look normal, but IDK what else to look for . . .

I also have chicks the just hatched yesterday and need to know if this is infectious or viral or whatever so I know if I need to take precautions when moving between handling him and handling the chicks. If so, what are those precautions?

 

[AshVau22]

I couldn't tell you if it's injury or sickness because don't have that knowledge. But does his head smell bad? I know that's a sign of a sickness.
If it was me I'd separate away from other birds. Flush eye with a saline. And use either Vetericyn Pink Eye Spray or Vetericyn Plus Antimicrobial Ophthalmic Pet Gel few times a day. If it's just irritation you should see improvement in couple days.
Do you have other chickens he might spar with that would make injury more likely.
Terramycin is also good for eye issues but I've heard it's difficult to get now.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is he with other chickens, besides the new chicks hatching? Have you added any new birds recently? Respiratory diseases such as MG, can cause bubbles or foam in one eye and swelling around the eye due to a sinus infection. It doesn’t have a bad odor. Coryza, which is more serious with thick gunk in one or both eyes and swelling, has a bad odor. If he is with his usual flock, they probably have already been exposed if it is MG. If you have other roosters, if you separate, he might not be allowed (by other roosters) to be in the flock later. Most respiratory diseases are contagious and can make carriers of the flock. I would close your flock. Get some Tylosin powder to put in his water. Dosage is 1 tsp per gallon (1/4 tsp per quart) for 5 days. You can also put some plain Neosproin ointment or Terramycin into his eye twice a day. Other antibiotics used to treat MG are Tiagard, Denagard, oxytetracycline and lincomycin spectinomycin. Here is a good place to get Tylosin online without a vet:
https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-...nxQ6n8_U2gOkdbyqr8VUlIRgXPx_O-vd_6F9foinC4Z6F

 

[redinator]

I couldn't tell you if it's injury or sickness because don't have that knowledge. But does his head smell bad? I know that's a sign of a sickness.
If it was me I'd separate away from other birds. Flush eye with a saline. And use either Vetericyn Pink Eye Spray or Vetericyn Plus Antimicrobial Ophthalmic Pet Gel few times a day. If it's just irritation you should see improvement in couple days.
Do you have other chickens he might spar with that would make injury more likely.
Terramycin is also good for eye issues but I've heard it's difficult to get now.

Is he with other chickens, besides the new chicks hatching? Have you added any new birds recently? Respiratory diseases such as MG, can cause bubbles or foam in one eye and swelling around the eye due to a sinus infection. It doesn’t have a bad odor. Coryza, which is more serious with thick gunk in one or both eyes and swelling, has a bad odor. If he is with his usual flock, they probably have already been exposed if it is MG. If you have other roosters, if you separate, he might not be allowed (by other roosters) to be in the flock later. Most respiratory diseases are contagious and can make carriers of the flock. I would close your flock. Get some Tylosin powder to put in his water. Dosage is 1 tsp per gallon (1/4 tsp per quart) for 5 days. You can also put some plain Neosproin ointment or Terramycin into his eye twice a day. Other antibiotics used to treat MG are Tiagard, Denagard, oxytetracycline and lincomycin spectinomycin.

I have two other cockerels in the yard and this one is just starting to show interest in the girls and paying his dues, so to speak. I'll run to Tractor Supply and grab these items. Thanks

The chicks that just hatched are the newest additions, the rest are 6 months old or older.

I had my son help me get a better picture . .to me that looks like an injury to his bottom lid . . . ? It's definitely tissue not gunk, I tried wiping it away with a warm damp cloth


ETA All new additions were either hatched from eggs or less than a week old when added.

ETA2 No foul smell

 

[AshVau22]

It looks more like an injury to me too. I'd flush it good and see if any debris comes out.

 

[redinator]

I found some eye wash in the back of our medicine cabinet (99.05% purified water) We dripped a couple of drops in the sore eye and it's definitely the nictitating membrane that's irritated and has a bit of a tear, my poor boy . . . but at least it's nothing contagious.

I'll put him back out tonight and feed him treats and clean it daily. I hope he doesn't hate me after this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Saline or eye wash is good to irrigate the eye, and that can be followed by plain triple biotic/Neosporin ointment twice daily. TSC doesn’t carry antibiotics anymore. Most have to be obtained online or from a vet. If it is just an injury from fighting, then hopefully the swelling will go down.

 

[redinator]

Saline or eye wash is good to irrigate the eye, and that can be followed by plain triple biotic/Neosporin ointment twice daily. TSC doesn’t carry antibiotics anymore. Most have to be obtained online or from a vet. If it is just an injury from fighting, then hopefully the swelling will go down.

When I use the triple biotic/Neosporin do I put it on the eyelids, or try to get in the eye? He was surprisingly calm when I was manipulating the eye to get a look and take a picture, but when we were putting n the eye wash he panicked a little. I'm not sure how I'd be able to get the ointment in the eye, if that were the case.