Early signs of sinus infection?

[Garden Peas]

For those of you who have dealt with sinus infections (my peas have never had one that I've seen), what were the first things you noticed?

One of my peas is tending to keep one eye closed -- but is still using it -- and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. There's no swelling that I can see, nothing different on that side of his head from the other one, no discharge, he just keeps closing that one eye more of the time. I wondered if it could be the sun, but it is not dependent on direction or sunlight. I sat out there for probably 20 minutes yesterday, and heard what may have been one, very soft sneeze in that entire time. Otherwise, he acts completely normal.

But this eye closing thing has been going on at least two days. That's weird, and not normal.

I am suspecting very early stages of a sinus infection. Thoughts?

 

[Frenchman Creek]

I have only had it once and that was with an IB male. He had one eye completely closed and I am not sure how long it was closed before I saw it as it was in Spring and my males are turned out to free range in the Spring. I keep on hand Tylan200 in the injectable form but I had no way to catch him so I gave him and his buddies bread crumb treats and when it came his turn I would use the syringe to put a drop of Tylan200 on the crumb until he had taken one ml. The amount is from memory but I am fairly sure it was one ml per day. I gave him the treated bread for four or five days and his eye opened on about the second or third day and has been fine now two years later. I feel the allowing the peas to go in the chicken houses and the chickens go in the pea houses and seeing the dust from the chickens scratching in the straw while they were all confined over the winter was the cause of my male's sinus infection. I no longer allow them to mingle in each others houses and have had no problems since.

 

[Frenchman Creek]

As I was unsure of my dosage of Tylan200 I checked Hopkins Med page and he recommends one to two cc/ml of injectable Tylan200 for birds over one year and one half to one cc/ml for birds under one year old. He goes on to say that Tylan200 is extremely effective in treating sinus eye infection in peafowl. Hope this all helps.

 

[DylansMom]

For those of you who have dealt with sinus infections (my peas have never had one that I've seen), what were the first things you noticed?

One of my peas is tending to keep one eye closed -- but is still using it -- and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. There's no swelling that I can see, nothing different on that side of his head from the other one, no discharge, he just keeps closing that one eye more of the time. I wondered if it could be the sun, but it is not dependent on direction or sunlight. I sat out there for probably 20 minutes yesterday, and heard what may have been one, very soft sneeze in that entire time. Otherwise, he acts completely normal.

But this eye closing thing has been going on at least two days. That's weird, and not normal.

I am suspecting very early stages of a sinus infection. Thoughts?

I would also be suspicious of a minor injury, just because you recently went through that with your little girl. Could someone have decided that pecking at eyes is a good way to get what they want?

 

[Garden Peas]

I would also be suspicious of a minor injury, just because you recently went through that with your little girl. Could someone have decided that pecking at eyes is a good way to get what they want?

I've been wondering that myself, and I keep looking, but haven't seen anything so far. Also, not that it means anything, I think this is the pecking perpetrator from the previous pecking incident.

Meanwhile, apparently one or both of the bigger males have been harassing the TT male -- I would be adding pen panels instead of typing if the weather weren't so cold. I just don't have another house for them right now, and we are about to go down into teens again, after 70 degree weather....

It was kinda funny until I realized what was going on. I had a dog house that was in the side pen, used last summer as a nesting box. Kept discovering long tail feathers sticking out, I thought TT bird was getting stuck by accident the first time. After third time I took the house apart to get him out, Big Blue jumped him in front of me. Meanwhile, the SP wee pea (other wee pea still in house) kept going into the dog house to hang out with him. She walked all over his tail and pretty much sat on him (they are buddies now). After I pulled out the dog box and separated the big boys, I left the two victims in the side pen for the rest of the day to get some breathing space. I looked over at one point, and there was TT bird, dragging himself around pen with SP wee pea riding on his train feathers. Wish I had a video of that, it was too cute.

I went out a little while ago and found TT bird on the roost (were you on vacation when I posted that he learned to roost?) and also the other three adult birds. TT bird not very mobile up there, but he's doing amazingly well to get up there at all. Watched Big Blue, who was apparently on "wrong" side, leap over him... kinda pea leapfrog on the roost. Nobody wants to be outside today with the cold winds! Snow isn't here yet, but no doubt in my mind that it's coming tonight.

I think I will probably try some Tylan to see if it resolves. It wasn't as pronounced when I was out earlier, but I think it was still noticeable. I'd rather catch it early if that's what it is.

 

[AugeredIn]

Ok, so here is a little known fact that I have never seen discussed here. Peafowl, especially when it is cold or dusty and even during the heat of the summer will clear their sinuses with what sounds like a little sneeze. It is not a sneeze though. They are forcing air back through their sinuses to clear them. They do it ALL the time not just when they have an issue. If you site and listen to a large group you will hear this noise frequently. When there is an excess of sinus drainage they have a fluid sounding sneeze. You can also sometimes see a discharge but not often in my experience. The biggest clue they have an issue though is when they start opening their mouths and shaking their heads. At that point they can no longer clear their sinuses and are trying to shake the "snot" out from the mouth. Of course by now they also tend to be ruffled up and dragging a little.

 

[DylansMom]

Ok, so here is a little known fact that I have never seen discussed here. Peafowl, especially when it is cold or dusty and even during the heat of the summer will clear their sinuses with what sounds like a little sneeze. It is not a sneeze though. They are forcing air back through their sinuses to clear them. They do it ALL the time not just when they have an issue. If you site and listen to a large group you will hear this noise frequently. When there is an excess of sinus drainage they have a fluid sounding sneeze. You can also sometimes see a discharge but not often in my experience. The biggest clue they have an issue though is when they start opening their mouths and shaking their heads. At that point they can no longer clear their sinuses and are trying to shake the "snot" out from the mouth. Of course by now they also tend to be ruffled up and dragging a little.

They will also do this after drinking. Since we are so cold at his time of year our water buckets freeze up every night. When we knock out the ice and refill them, the birds are lined up and waiting to drink, so we are right there and after drinking they will make the little sneeze noise to clear the water from their nostrils and/or sinuses. At first I thought it might be a sinus infection, but after awhile I realized it was just a normal behavior from them.

 

[KsKingBee]

They will also do this after drinking. Since we are so cold at his time of year our water buckets freeze up every night. When we knock out the ice and refill them, the birds are lined up and waiting to drink, so we are right there and after drinking they will make the little sneeze noise to clear the water from their nostrils and/or sinuses. At first I thought it might be a sinus infection, but after awhile I realized it was just a normal behavior from them.

I also see it after they eat the wet mash I make for them.

As to the eye problem, I had an adult hen that I was a bit concerned about doing the same thing. I was about to start giving it shots when it started to diminish and she got over it. She was in the brooder coop and I chalked it up to dust from the wood chips.

 

[casportpony]

I noticed in my chick that the area in yellow would inflate and deflate with each breath.


-Kathy

 

[KsKingBee]

That is exactly right Kathy! The very first sign of respiratory problems can be seen with the skin puffing out with every breath. That is what I look for when I sit and observe my flocks.