cornish with ?wry neck and infected eye

[ladrholman]

I have a 2 year old cornish hen that has always been a bit odd (as cornish can be). About 2 weeks ago I noted that she was not opening one of her eye lids. She was getting around fine and perching and all. She then had a dirt bath and got the eye full of dirt and such. It has been swollen and gross since. I think the eye itself is a lost cause, It has gone dark and cloudy. I have been cleaning it and using optymixin eye ointment in it but it still gets full of nasty cheese curd stuff. I clean this out, but it is hard for her to keep it clean as she also seems to have wry neck... she is nearly looking upside down most of the time. She will still eat and drink but it is challenging for her. I make her up a mash of food with vit E capsule drizzled on top. I also have polyvit in her water. Could these 2 things be connected? How long should it take to see any changes? Her poops are still normal in color and form. She has lost weight as she is not eating as much as she was. Am I fighting a losing battle? Will she ever regain any sence of a normal life? Right now she seem so sad and pitiful!! I don't like to see them suffer, but I like to give them every chance to live. Thanks.

 

[Erica]

Hi ladrholman,
your bird has a respiratory disease that has caused the sinuses (cavities near the eye) to fill with pus. Unfortunately this material is cheesy, not free-fllowing like pus in mammals. It tends to stay there and is very hard to clear.

Antibiotics may help her with the infection generally (though won't cure it as she'll remain a carrier) and bathing with iodine in water while gently squeezing underneath the eye may help push some of this material out. I gather the chances of full recovery are a little remote, sorry.

Hope this helps a little,
Erica

 

[ladrholman]

would this also be causing the neck issue???

 

[Erica]

No, unfortunately that sounds like it may be nutritional (though it could also be some kind of injury). It sounds like you're doing the best you can for her with added vitamins etc.

I suppose it's possible she injured her head, and this resulted in both eye swelling and the strange posture. However it's also reasonably likely the respiratory disease affected her appetite, and not eating properly has exacerbated an underlying nutritional issue. Either way she does sound like a really sick bird.

I'm no expert in any of this, so I hope you get other answers and suggestions. My feeling I suppose is that she's fighting an uphill battle if it's 2 separate illnesses (wry neck plus respiratory disease), but if it's a single injury causing the posture and swelling then she's still got a hard battle ahead... If it was my bird I'd look at quality of life, as well as prognosis. That is, I'd make a judgement call on whether she seems to be enjoying life or not (and deteriorating), and act mercifully if she seems to be in constant distress.

Chickens are amazing animals; often I think they tell us what they'd prefer (e.g. I had a very badly broken-legged hen that used to sit on the kitchen counter in her little security-box making happy noises all day; she definitely wanted to be given the chance).

These are totally personal views; it sounds like you're giving her the best of care.

best wishes
Erica

 

[ladrholman]

Well she is still going. I treated with the Vit E and the neck seems to be resolving itself. She mostly is upright, though still looks at you oddly sometimes since she can only see out of one eye. I make her up her mash and although she is not that effecient at eating, she does seem to manage and enjoys it. I am still cleaning the eye. Gotta love chickens and the cheese curd infections they get. I know she has no use in that eye anymore. The infection actually lifted the lense off the eye. I cleaned it really well today.. was not getting a lot of the curds that were under the inner eye lid. I then rinsed it with betadine and packed it with optimyxin. I certainly think she wants to live. So I will do what I can to make the life she has enjoyable. If I could come up with a way to close the eye to keep the grub out..... Any more suggestions would be great. Thanks

 

[ladrholman]

She had a couple decent weeks. Back outside and getting around and enjoying the summer. But the last couple days she deteriorated and kept going in reverse and flopping around when set down. We decided to put her out of her misery. Poor soul, but atleast she had a good life while she had it.

 

[tamtam84]

So sorry for your loss I lost one of my girls yesterday and today another one is looking pretty bad, so I know how difficult it can be. Sounds like you did everything you could for her and she had a good life. Sometimes chickens are so fragile.

 

[Erica]

Sad to hear that, ladrholman, but it sounds like you took the best approach.
good luck in future,
erica