eye infection with bad smell?? no idea help!!

[rookachu]

I have 4 rode island reds that are 5 months old and 3 of them have 1 eye that is swollen shut and sometimes has bubbles coming out of it.. if I pick them up I can smell a fowl odor coming from there head. They dont really act sick but they keep scratching there eye and its only one eye on each of them.. Please any advise?

 

[dawg53]

I have 4 rode island reds that are 5 months old and 3 of them have 1 eye that is swollen shut and sometimes has bubbles coming out of it.. if I pick them up I can smell a fowl odor coming from there head. They dont really act sick but they keep scratching there eye and its only one eye on each of them.. Please any advise?

Most likely you are dealing with a respiratory disease, either mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) or infectious coryza. I suspect coryza due to the foul odor. Here's a link, scroll down and read about the diseases I mentioned. Your birds do not necessarily have to have all the symptoms mentioned, there are different strains. Bottom line...I recommend you cull your sick birds, either disease will spread to the others as it already has. There are no cures.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[rookachu]

I have already culled all birds with symptoms such as swollen eye, runny nose, weezy breaths, sitting around all puffed up and so on.. But it seems like every week there are different birds that get it.. My Guineas and ducks are unaffected but ive culled mostly all my chickens because of this what should I do nos???

 

[dawg53]

Unfortunately most respiratory diseases can be transmitted on clothing, shoes, hands, some are even airborne. When you handle sick birds, you have to remember and practice strict biosecurity procedures in order not to transfer the disease from sick birds to healthy birds. This may require washing hands, change of clothing/shoes etc...before you visit or handle disease free birds in your flock. It's a real pain in the neck. There are also incubation times to consider as to when symptoms will start showing in healthy birds once exposed.
I know nothing about guineas and ducks, sorry.

 

[rookachu]

Should I just cull the remaining few birds ro be safe? Im planning on greatly expanding my flock or was before all this broke out.. I just dont want to loose all the new birds too not to mention the money I already have in my birds...

 

[dawg53]

Should I just cull the remaining few birds ro be safe? Im planning on greatly expanding my flock or was before all this broke out.. I just dont want to loose all the new birds too not to mention the money I already have in my birds...

I understand. Dont introduce the remaining birds to any other birds for now, keep an eye on them for symptoms. Here's a link to incubation times for diseases, look for infectious coryza/MG. Good luck.
http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/respiratory_disease.htm

 

[wolfpak]

You can try Tylan injection, and dilute Oxine spray. Have had this problem in the past.... nasty & unique putrid smell to coryza. Most of my birds recovered, but they are certainly carriers. We use oxine mist regularly in the coop, roosts, nest boxes... just a few of these birds remain in our coop in the barn. I've misted the bird's faces, eyes, & made sure they inhaled the oxine spray mist. Have not had issues in the last year or so. Its best to cull the birds, and if you decide to keep, be sure to give it some time before you consume the eggs, particularly if you've used Tylan, which is not supposed to be given to birds whose eggs are consumed in the US.

I discard eggs for about a week if I've used Tylan, then feed to the dogs for a while, if they're kept (we have 11 fur-babies). Have had no adverse reactions in the dogs. I know it would be best to cull the birds, but we seem to manage fine, for the time being. Have another coop at some distance from the barn - and we've never had any instances of illness in any of the birds there. We have had a total of 100 chickens max. but have about 50ish right now. The barn birds sometimes free range down in the woods, but are cooped right now due to a fox coming in & picking a few off recently (which happens most springs around the time they have kits). Mostly lost some barnyard extra roos who insisted on roosting in the rafters of the barn, vs. the coop!

Oxine spray concentration I use is about 30 oz water to 1.5 oz oxine concentrate. Seems to work wonders, sanitizes, & does wonders for eye/nose/sinus type conditions. With just 4 birds, and many more coming culling would be the best option, unless you're able to keep the newcomers FAR away from your existing birds.

 

[rookachu]

I culled them today.. I have amother coop full with 8 Guineas and 10 chickens all over a year and a half old and some of them are sneezing but no swollen eyes or fowl odors and 2 have a weezing noise when thwy breath but the Guineas seem unaffected nuy any of it.. Sshould I cull all the chickens and leave the Guineas or wjat? If I cull evweything but the Guineas how do I go about cleaning and disinfecting the coop and my land and everything? I want yo get rid of this disease because I was just about to purchase about 50 or so new chicks.. I have 7 bany Guineas and 5 baby BBR's now they are in a growing out pen far away from the adults and haven't showed any symptoms so far..

 

[tellynpeep]

You need to get a definitive diagnosis. Take one of the dead birds and have a necropsy done on it. Your vet can do this, or your state diagnostic lab should be able to do it for cheaper. If you have this many birds, it is worth figuring out why they died so you can repopulate. You will need a culture. Different diseases need different approaches. Good luck..

 

[rookachu]

In the general area how much should that cost and how long would it take to get done?