Could my rooster be carrying sickness?

[emzee]

I noticed that one of my silkie roosters had a runny-looking eye and mucus coming out of his nostrils. So I separated him from the other chickens and put him in a rabbit hutch with a silkie that was having eye problems. I know now that was a mistake since I don't believe they had the same sickness. Now the one that appeared to have a cold has gotten better, but I'm afraid to put him back with the other chickens since he has been exposed the the silkie with eye problems. It has been a few weeks and he hasn't picked up the eye problem from the other silkie, but could he still be carrying it? Is it safe to put him back with the healthy silkies?

 

[speckledhen]

Chickens do not get colds like people do. They contract viruses that make them carriers for life most of the time (think herpes and HIV) Is the rooster a newly acquired bird? If you have purchased birds recently, were they quarantined? What sort of eye problem? Is there a bad smell involved?
Truthfully, I'd never put him in with my flock. You'll probably end up treating them and re-treating them and if it's a virus, you can't treat it.

 

[emzee]

He's not new, I've had him for two years. The silkies that I purchased recently were quarantined, and I'm glad I did because they were the ones with eye problems. They eventually all got better or died except for one, which is the one that I'm keeping with the other rooster. The new silkie's eye looks like it has bubbly foam in the corner. There is no odor. Do you think I should euthanize the rooster that had mucus coming out of his nose? I really don't want to, because I think it may have been partially due to his feed which tends to be kind of dusty.

 

[seminolewind]

No! Don't cull him. Get some Tylan or LS-50 and treat them with the kind you put in the water.
Or go here and look up the common illnesses and what to give. www.FirstStateVeterinarySupply.com
Or try here http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/

And keep them both quarantined till they both have no symptoms.