Eye infection?

[LoneStarHen]

I did not have a chance to get a picture last night or this morning. There is no foul odor or nasal discharge at all. When I got these birds there was one in the cage that had been pecking the others around the eyes and ear area. A couple of them had bloody spots. We watched them before I left and made sure that the aggressive on was not in my group. All of them healed, so I am wondering if this one maybe had an abscess or something near the eye. I'm treating the eye and we will see what happens.

I was thinking about making a small tractor as well, that way these guys can get out and get on the pasture some. I wonder if I can build up some immunity in the quail by ranging them in a tractor. I guess they will build immunity or I'll be starting over...

 

[dirtychick]

I have a few quail and the males some times pick at the other males eyes. also in chickens they get a worm in their eye from roaches Ive read +been told .forgot terms. good luck.

 

[dc3085]

Lacking a picture and going on the fact you aren't see/smelling foul discharge, if their feces looks healhty it is most likely an eye infection. You can treat eye infections with vetricyn or teramycin per the instructions on the bottle. It usually clears up completely in about a week of treatment. Most pet stores/feed stores will have one or the other.

 

[LoneStarHen]

Thanks everyone for all of your comments. I pulled the little guy out of the pen last night, it is a male. I flushed his eye really well last night with some sterile saline. I think it must be a pecking injury. I am assuming there is an abscess really close to the eye itself because once I started messing with it a thick, purulent discharge started coming out. After rinsing most of the crust off and getting a lot of that discharge out, I can see they eye. I am not sure if the eye on that side will be saved. I put some antibiotic eye ointment in and around the eye.

The other eye looks fine, and still no discharge from the nostrils. Everyone else looks ok, there are a couple that have some questionable eyes, but they seem to be clearing up and getting better. I have not seen anyone pecking at each other, and they have plenty of room in their enclosure. However at this point I am leaning toward pecking injury. I've got 4 males and 9 females. Maybe I need more ladies.