Hello, I have a Black Australorp hen. She is the largest hen I have and stopped laying about a month ago. Her behavior is normal otherwise, but her stools are sometimes watery-runny with white fluid in them, other times they look like normal clumps. One of her eyes is milky and the other is normal. The milky eye has worsened and now looks like a cataract. Here are the questions asked on the sticky: 1) What type of bird , age and weight. - Black Australorp, hatched October 15th, 2010 - APPROX 9 pounds 2) What is the behavior, exactly. - SEE ABOVE 3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? - I NOTICED IT 3 DAYS AGO. 4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? - NO, but this bird has been quarantined for 3 days now. 5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. NO, JUST THE MILKY EYE 6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY 7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. SHE IS EATING AND DRINKING 8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. MOSTLY NORMAL, WITH AN OCCASIONAL WATERY STOOL 9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? MOVED HERE TO A LARGE DOG KENNEL WITH VITA-WATER, HAY AND A FEED BOWL 10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I CAN'T AFFORD A VET FOR A CHICKEN AND I WANT TO TRY TO HELP HER BEFORE I HAVE TO CULL HER 11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. 12) Describe the housing/bedding in use - LARGE COVERED DOG KENNEL WITH VITA-WATER, HAY AS BEDDING AND A FEED BOWL I have read up on Mareks and Cocci, but it doesn't sound like either of those. There is no paralysis or strange movements, she is just slow moving and obviously doesn't feel good. Any advice would be appreciated, she is not a pet, but is part of my small flock of laying hens.
Sounds like eyeworm. I have two chickens with this right now. You should be able to see a white substance at the bottom of the eye- the worm. The cataract on one of mine is going away now after treatment. But it spread to his lady and now I am starting to treat her. http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/27_2745.htm scroll down to treatment especially- mentions eyeworm in about three places I think. Here is a thread on it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=574334&p=1 see post #9 I can attest to the fact that dosing just the eye will not cure it. Wazine will not cure it. Now I am finally going to get these things as I don't want to kill my beautiful pets. Notice also that the worms come from the crop! So just treating the eye won't work. Very important!!! Keep separated until treatment is complete and it is gone. My roo's lady now has it and she was housed with him.
