Eye/Face swelling and head tilt

[Westi]

Hello,
This is my first post. Have had a small backyard flock for 3 yrs. Recently purchased 2 new started pullets from a reputable hatchery in another state, so they were flown in, overnight. The new pullets are about 4 months old and my flock now consists of 6 chickens with the oldest 2 no longer laying eggs. After an 8 day quarantine, the 2 new babies were introduced to the backyard, within the safety of a temporary pen. About 2 days later, I noticed that one of the babies was squinting one of her eyes. By the next day, she was not opening it at all. I was going to my dog's Vet the next day, and asked him for some antibiotic eye drops...thinking that she must have gotten pecked or somehow introduced bacteria into her eye. Things progressed over the next two days and not only was the eye was swollen but so was the side of her face. She then developed a head tilt. At first I thought it was because she couldn't see out of the bad eye. I called and took her to my Chicken Vet the next day. At the visit, the Vet examined her from head to toe and decided that it must be a ?sinus infection and that the head tilt/balance was due to swelling that was pressing on the vestibular nerve. We left with Doxycycline (he no longer uses Baytril) and Meloxicam and instructed to continue the eye drops. It's been two days, and there isn't much improvement. I called the Vet this morning and he thinks I should give her another 5 days before we assess again. She is eating, drinking, pooping although, she is skinny (according to the Vet) and I think the other pullet wasn't letting her eat/drink when they were together. Has anyone else had something like this with one of their hens?

 

[azygous]

Yes, I had a hen recently with the same symptoms. The outcome wasn't wonderful. It began with conjunctivitis or "pink eye". I treated with an ophthalmic antibiotic. It proceeded to get worse.

Within three days, the eye became opaque and she lost her sight. But she became increasingly sick with swelling of the face. I started her on Tylan 50, and she continued to get worse.

I switched to amoxicillin and she continued to get worse. She refused to eat and I tube fed her. She continued to get worse and I finally euthanized her. I have no idea why she got sick or what caused it or why she didn't respond to any of the antibiotics other than she probably had secondary infections from an avian virus my flock carries. There is no cure.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like one of the new pullets may have been exposed to a respiratory disease, such as mycoplasma either by a carrier at her previous home or had the disease lying dormant perhaps being transferred to her from the egg. Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG,) coryza, infectious bronchitis, and ILT are some of the common diseases seen in poultry. Each one can be complicated by secondary infections, even E.coli from the environment. Your vet could try to get PCR testing for MG to rule it out. Here is some reading about MG and other diseases:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...tion-mg-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens/
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

So sorry about your darlin’ chick! Hoping she will pull through!!!

 

[Westi]

Thanks for your responses. My little Rozzi died overnight. Such a shame :-( I plan to call my Vet this morning and let him know and see what I should do next. The other chicken that flew here with Rozzi, is fine, but still separated from the rest of my flock. I wonder if anyone knows what a hatchery's policy might be with something like this? Haven't had her 3 weeks, and she was sick for half of that time and now dead. Do you think they might want her back, for a necropsy? Not for nothing, but it wasn't cheap (the shipping costs are huge) and then a $90 Vet bill too! It would be OK, if she wasn't dead at the end of it all :-(((

 

[azygous]

She shouldn't have been sick and she shouldn't have died so soon after you got her from a certified hatchery. By all means call them and let them know what has happened, including what the vet said. And you should mention that they might want to arrange for getting the body to them for a necropsy since it could have direct consequences for their biosecurity practices and their entire operation since what killed your pullet was likely a very serious disease that she had been exposed to long before she came to you.

 

[Westi]

I called the hatchery yesterday and told them all that happened. Their only advice was that I should contact my local State Ag School and inquire about necropsy. They told me that their practice is to only guarantee for 48 hrs. after receipt of the bird. Really?? Then, why is the recommendation to quarantine for up to 30 days? I was totally bummed, but went on with my day. This morning, the hatchery called and said that "just this one time, they would replace her, if I wanted". It made me feel as if I had done something wrong. She went on to say that they didn't think that Rozzi got an eye infection from the farm she was raised on. I said, this was more than an eye infection...it was something that ended up in her brain! She said nothing. I asked that they give me the day to think about it. Now, not sure what to do? I really wanted two birds to add to my flock and now I only have one. The one I have, is ready to be integrated into my flock....although, alone, she's gonna get pretty beat up! If they send me another ameracana (do I even want one from this same hatchery?)….it will need some quarantine before I can put it in with the others, etc, etc. It's just a mess now. So much for having a plan

 

[azygous]

Don't you just hate it when life throws up these detour signs and you end up someplace where there are no easy directions to take?

Here's my article on how to integrate a single bird into an existing flock. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

It will give you a plan that has been tried and proven to work very well, not just by myself but others who have used the method. Easy to follow instructions.

I would be inclined to forget about replacing the sick pullet. Make life simple for yourself.

 

[townchicks]

I have a very small flock (3 total) but when I added bird #3,to my other 2, it went very well. I just gave them plenty of time to decide when they were ready. You might want to do a necropsy first however, since the second bird has been exposed. Good for you for quarantining. Sorry about your loss.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss, and I do hope you can get a necropsy on her. It is very interesting to read necropsy reports, especially when they include microbiology reports. That way we see symptoms, then learn what was going on inside the chicken. Here is a link to finding your state poultry lab:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm