Don't know what to do next.

[jak2002003]

Please does anyone have an idea what is the problem with my rooster, or what I can do to help him.

3 weeks ago I noticed his eyes were really watery and he looks like he is crying.

He has no other symptoms. All my other chickens and rooster are fine.

He looks really healthy, clean neat feathers, active, eating and crowing. His eyes are not sore or swollen and he has no bubbles in them.

1st week I just waited to see if he got any other symptoms so I could get the correct medicine. But nothing happened.

2nd week I have been treating him with Boi B 12 powder in his drinking water and have him isolated.

3rd week, finished treatment and there is still no change in his eyes, and I am now using apple cider vinegar to his water.

Any ideas what is causing his watery eyes or what else I can try?

 

[Judy]

One possibility is ammonia buildup, which comes from chicken poop. Ammonia can cause problems for birds (and people) even at low enough levels that you can't smell it. So my first question is about your coop's ventilation. It's not an uncommon mistake to close a coop up too tightly in cold weather, to try to keep it warm, when in fact chickens more often from insufficient ventilation than from very cold weather. There are several diseases that can cause watery eyes. Below I've given a good link for finding diseases by symptoms, and an excellent article on ventilation which was written by a Canadian.

If you have other birds who live with him and he is the only one bothered by this, it also makes me wonder whether he might have a congenital defect. I don't think I've heard of one like this, where the eyes water continuously, but I don't see why it couldn't happen. Another thought is, he may be allergic to something specific in his environment, perhaps an aromatic wood (you don't use cedar, do you?) or a plant.

Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/diseases_poultry_diagnosis_symptoms.pdf

 

[jak2002003]

Thanks you for you reply. This is good advise about the ammonia in the coop. In this case that is not the problem as they sleep in the trees and the hens with chicks under baskets. I live in Thailand and the weather is HOT so I don't have to worry about head in winter.

He is under a large chicken basket and has a thick perch in there to sleep on. There is no rain as its the dry season and its in a shady place in the daytime.

He is nearly one year old now and the son of my original rooster. Its only now he has this eye thing. Perhaps it is something to do with the flowers or pollen as there are lots of flowering weeds this time of year in the empty plot next door to me.

I am going to try the Apple cider vinegar for a few days and then have to take him to a vet (don't want to do this as my experience with vets is they cost a lot of money and usually don't know what they are doing with birds).

 

[Judy]

I think the pollen may be a good guess, in that case.

Unfortunately, the same seems to be true for many vets here. Perhaps you can "wait and see," as long as he seems well, otherwise.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Please does anyone have an idea what is the problem with my rooster, or what I can do to help him.

3 weeks ago I noticed his eyes were really watery and he looks like he is crying.

He has no other symptoms. All my other chickens and rooster are fine.

He looks really healthy, clean neat feathers, active, eating and crowing. His eyes are not sore or swollen and he has no bubbles in them.

1st week I just waited to see if he got any other symptoms so I could get the correct medicine. But nothing happened.

2nd week I have been treating him with Boi B 12 powder in his drinking water and have him isolated.

3rd week, finished treatment and there is still no change in his eyes, and I am now using apple cider vinegar to his water.

Any ideas what is causing his watery eyes or what else I can try?

There will be additional symptoms if this is a disease, and it will be spread to others w/in your flock. Keeping him isolated, and practicing good biosecurity, is your only defense against any outbreak, if indeed it is either of these two possibles: Infectious Coryza or Infectious Bronchitis.

I could just be watery eyes, due to his response to somethin' he's been gettin' into, but that's the two diseases that I can think of w/ the watery eyes.

 

[jak2002003]

Thank you everyone for the very helpful advise. My flock had the infectious bronchitis about 6 months ago and they all recovered OK. The rooster has not got those symptoms. I just researched the Coryze disease and that says there is mucus and a bad smell. He does not have them either.

I think he must have an allergy to something. Its been over 3 weeks now and his only symptom is the very watery eyes. Poor fella.

I will give him another week with the apple cider vinegar and then put him back with the other chickens. He hates being separated. I will take him to the vet also and ask them to give him a shot of broad spectrum antibiotic to see if that helps (but that all)

I got conned by a vet before. He thought if I was stupid enough to take a bird to him, then I am stupid enough to keep paying for endless medicines that do not work. After a few treatment I was angry and then the vet admitted (with my doves) that he knew the disease but the treatment could only be bough in bulk and that was too expensive just to use on one dove so he would not order it!!!!!!! - he knew all along and just kept 'trying' things that cost me money. ARRRHHH. I won't make that mistake again.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Thank you everyone for the very helpful advise. My flock had the infectious bronchitis about 6 months ago and they all recovered OK. The rooster has not got those symptoms. I just researched the Coryze disease and that says there is mucus and a bad smell. He does not have them either.

I think he must have an allergy to something. Its been over 3 weeks now and his only symptom is the very watery eyes. Poor fella.

I will give him another week with the apple cider vinegar and then put him back with the other chickens. He hates being separated. I will take him to the vet also and ask them to give him a shot of broad spectrum antibiotic to see if that helps (but that all)

I got conned by a vet before. He thought if I was stupid enough to take a bird to him, then I am stupid enough to keep paying for endless medicines that do not work. After a few treatment I was angry and then the vet admitted (with my doves) that he knew the disease but the treatment could only be bough in bulk and that was too expensive just to use on one dove so he would not order it!!!!!!! - he knew all along and just kept 'trying' things that cost me money. ARRRHHH. I won't make that mistake again.

The good news is that, logically, there is no reason to visit your vet -- most especially if you know your vet to be a thief (which is what one is, if they charge for what they know to not be an effective treatment/cure ~'-)

The bad new is that, although they seem to get over IBV, they really don't ... well ... not completely. The following quotes from AvianWeb, Merck Vet Manual and ... some other:

"The highly contagious virus is spread by airborne droplets, ingestion of contaminated feed and water, and contaminated equipment and clothng of caretakers. Naturally infected chickens and those vaccinated with live IBV may intermittently shed virus for many weeks or even months. Virus infection in layers and breeders occurs cyclically as immunity declines or on exposure to different serotypes."

"No specific treatment is available, but antibiotics can be used to prevent secondary infections.
Vaccines are available (ATCvet codes: QI01AA03 for the inactivated vaccine, QI01AD07 for the live vaccine; plus various combinations).
Biosecurity protocols including adequate isolation, disinfection are important in controlling the spread of the disease."

"The virus is highly variable and new serotypes continue to appear. The virus dies quickly outside of the host but can spread through the air and can travel considerable distances during an active outbreak. It can also be spread by mechanical means such as on clothing, poultry crates and equipment. The disease is not egg transmitted and the virus will survive for probably no more than one week in the house when poultry are not present. It is easily destroyed by heat and ordinary disinfectants."

As you can see? The virus work similarly to our own flu virus, in that it changes, and it goes from one to another. And, similarly, there is no antibiotic that's gonna stop IBV. There are vaccines, but they work only on the strain they're based upon. One they've had it, they won't display nearly so severe of symptoms, but -- they'll still have it. You can make efforts to prevent it's spread, and kill it outside of the birds, but, 'til you have no birds for it it live in? You'll never completely rid your location of it.

So, I'd suggest setting aside every penny you woulda spent on the vet, and visit at least that one no more. You can use antibiotics if they get secondary infections, but ... I'd just wait it out, and I would add no new birds. There will be a time when you can start fresh, after thoroughly sanitizing the property, and restricting where your new birds can go, and others from ever reaching them.

 

[jak2002003]

That is interesting. Perhaps he has got the Infection Bronchitis again - but not as bad as before. All my other chickens are still OK. Last time they had it, it took about one month for it to clear. So hopefully in a week or so he might be better.

I don't mind this disease in my flock as I can do nothing about it now anyway, and I don't every buy new birds and mine keep breeding like crazy.

The problem I have here is nearly every house has chickens and there are a lot or 'feral' ones about. They all mix together as no one keep them in a run. That is why flock got the IB and Pox, Scaly leg and some other minor stuff. They are tough little things though and they always recovered and I never lost one to ill health.

I won't take him to the vets. He seems really healthy and happy and does not feel sick. I can imagine having to go back and forth for a batch of injection and medicines that I probably don't need to get.

I will let you know what he is like after another week.

Thanks everyone!

 

[cowcreekgeek]

That is interesting. Perhaps he has got the Infection Bronchitis again - but not as bad as before. All my other chickens are still OK. Last time they had it, it took about one month for it to clear. So hopefully in a week or so he might be better.

I don't mind this disease in my flock as I can do nothing about it now anyway, and I don't every buy new birds and mine keep breeding like crazy.

The problem I have here is nearly every house has chickens and there are a lot or 'feral' ones about. They all mix together as no one keep them in a run. That is why flock got the IB and Pox, Scaly leg and some other minor stuff. They are tough little things though and they always recovered and I never lost one to ill health.

I won't take him to the vets. He seems really healthy and happy and does not feel sick. I can imagine having to go back and forth for a batch of injection and medicines that I probably don't need to get.

I will let you know what he is like after another week.

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, you've pretty well confirmed the problems I'd imagines folks in your circumstances have to deal with ... I'm the only one around here keepin' chickens, and there's rarely anyone else comin' near 'em (although there's always the potential for infection(s) from the wild, or tracked in )-;~

Continuing forward w/ what you have is a good way to develop a flock naturally resistant to the disease (and, possibly more resistant to others ~'-)