Eye Injury

[mamasitahen]

Has anyone ever seen anything like this before? Found my girl like this this afternoon. It is almost totally shut and oozing clear
fluid. She does n

ot act bothered at all. Not sure if I should do anything or just leave it? Suggestions? Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

The picture is not in focus, so difficult to tell what the spots look like. Has she been pecked around her eye, or is she having signs of a respiratory disease, such as bubbly eye, nasal drainage, gasping, coughing, or wheezing? Have you seen any signs of fowl pox on the combs or wattles of other chickens? I would get some Terramycin eye ointment to put in the eye twice daily. Plain neosporin might also work. If her eye has dried drainage or pus, clean it with saline before the ointment.

 

[mamasitahen]

She is acting totally normal. Pecking, scratching, eating, just acting like a chicken. No breathing problems. Everyone else looks okay to me, but what signs should I look for? I rinsed it with water (didn't have any saline) and put some bacitracin on it. She was very calm and didn't act like it hurt her. Thanks for the feedback, I am very worried about her! I was thinkging maybe she got into a cactus, or possibly something bit her, I don't know..........

 

[Eggcessive]

It does look like some type of injury, but she also could have been pecked after her eye became swollen and foamy. Can you get some oxytetracycline to put in her water, or get some Tylan 50 injectable, and give her 1 ml orally twice a day for 5 days? Those would treat mycoplasma (MG) just in case it is that. Terramycin eye ointment is oxytetracycline, and can be found at feed stores. If it is jut an injury, the bacitracin may be good enough. If you see any pus or other drainage, clean the eye before applying the ointment twice a day. Here is a little info on MG:

Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Synonyms: MG, chronic respiratory disease (CRD), infectious sinusitis, mycoplasmosis
Species affected: chickens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, peafowl, and passerine birds.
Clinical signs: Clinical symptoms vary slightly between species. Infected adult chickens may show no outward signs if infection is uncomplicated. However, sticky, serous exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses can occur, especially in broilers. The air sacs may become infected. Infected birds can develop respiratory rales and sneeze. Affected birds are often stunted and unthrifty.

MG in chicken embryos can cause dwarfing, airsacculitis, and death.
Transmission: MG can be spread to offspring through the egg. Most commercial breeding flocks, however, are MG-free. Introduction of infected replacement birds can introduce the disease to MG-negative flocks. MG can also be spread by using MG-contaminated equipment.
Treatment: Outbreaks of MG can be controlled with the use of antibiotics. Erythromycin, tylosin, spectinomycin, and lincomycin all exhibit anti-mycoplasma activity and have given good results. Administration of most of these antibiotics can be by feed, water or injection. These are effective in reducing clinical disease. However, birds remain carriers for life.
Prevention: Eradication is the best control of mycoplasma disease. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors all participating chicken and turkey breeder flocks.

 

[landofmarmots]

I had the same thing happen, and am certain my hen was attacked by one of my others. I applied the Terramycin for about 5 days, and she is finally opening that eye again. The eyeball is intact, but it is dubious as to how good the vision is, as the pupil is offset now. She walked around in circles for a few days until she adjusted to her new lack of sight, but seems as normal as possible now. I do have to keep her apart from the mean one, as she is determined to kill her.
Found the Terramycin at a local feed store for about $17.00, and seemed to do the trick. Good luck!

 

[mamasitahen]

Thanks for the feedback. Sadly, I tried antibiotics for about a month, topical, oral, and subcutaneous but it only got worse. She is in chicken heaven now.....never even had a chance to lay an egg, poor girl. She didn't develop like her flock mates that were the same age though, I think there might have been something more going on with her..........