Eye swollen shut, feathers falling out and possible fever

[Michael A]

Hello, it's new years eve and I'd like to see if i could get some quick advice before Tractor Supply closes.

Yesterday I noticed one of my five hens was not eating when i threw out some scratch. Her depth perception seemed to be off she was pecking at thin air 3" away from feed.

I picked her up and she seemed warm to the touch possible fever.

Today i noticed her eye was swollen shut but the eye did not look infected no oozing. It seems like a gland under her eye was enlarged. I also noticed that her feathers seem to be falling out...

All of my other hens seem fine

I read on other threads that I might be looking at a respiratory or sinus infection and Tylan injections were recommended.

I have not owned chickens that long and wanted to get some other opinions. She is still walking around but not eating or drinking so I feel I need to act fast.

Thanks for your inputView attachment 1991351

 

[micstrachan]

Can you get some terramycin (?) eye ointment at Tractor Supply? I believe they carry it. You may need to squeeze the pus from her eye. I would guess the feather loss is a coincidental molt, though it could possibly be triggered by stress from illness.

Do you think she is not eating because of depth perception issues or because she isn’t feeling well? I would dampen her feed with warm water into a mash and see if that is easier to scoop up since she may not be able to pick things up precisely right now. Also, she might benefit from some poultry cell or nutridrench for a little nutrient boost.

 

[micstrachan]

I forgot to say the swelling isn’t very evident to me in the photo, but showing a frontal view with both eyes might help.

 

[Michael A]

Can you get some terramycin (?) eye ointment at Tractor Supply? I believe they carry it. You may need to squeeze the pus from her eye. I would guess the feather loss is a coincidental molt, though it could possibly be triggered by stress from illness.

Do you think she is not eating because of depth perception issues or because she isn’t feeling well? I would dampen her feed with warm water into a mash and see if that is easier to scoop up since she may not be able to pick things up precisely right now. Also, she might benefit from some poultry cell or nutridrench for a little nutrient boost.

Thank you for your reply...

I have updated the photos, hopefully it's a bit more clear what is going on... I have Tobramycin 0.3% on hand which is read is supposed to be good for chicken eye infections. I have not applied any yet. I don't see any oozing from the eye. so i am not sure it's an eye infection. Please have a look at the new photos and let me know what you think. Also I can still run to Tractor Supply to get Terramycin

I just put some of her favorite treat in front of her (sunflower seeds) but she did not eat much, did not seem interested or with some feed.

 

[Eggcessive]

The tobramycin can treat gram negative and gram positive bacteria, so that would be good to use. Terramycin or plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment are also fine. Does your hen have any bubbles or white gunk in the eye, sneezing, or rattly breathing? Those can be signs of MG, a chronic respiratory disease. That can be treated with Tylan (tylosin) in the water 1 tsp per gallon of water for 3-5 days. You can buy it here:
https://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/product/tylosin-powder/

Is she lethargic or just cannot see to eat? You might try to hold a small scoop or cup of moist chicken feed, scrambled egg, and fresh water up to her beak several times a day.

 

[Michael A]

The tobramycin can treat gram negative and gram positive bacteria, so that would be good to use. Terramycin or plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment are also fine. Does your hen have any bubbles or white gunk in the eye, sneezing, or rattly breathing? Those can be signs of MG, a chronic respiratory disease. That can be treated with Tylan (tylosin) in the water 1 tsp per gallon of water for 3-5 days. You can buy it here:
https://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/product/tylosin-powder/

Is she lethargic or just cannot see to eat? You might try to hold a small scoop or cup of moist chicken feed, scrambled egg, and fresh water up to her beak several times a day.

Hello, I have applied a drop of tobramycin to her eye. BUT the eye looked nice and clear with no bubbles, puss or other gunk... She did not fuss with me opening it or when the drop was applied...

I have not noticed any sneezing or rattle in her breathing... She just seems uninterested in eating BUT i just saw that she made a small poop so she must be eating some. I put a few meal worms in front of her and she is slowly picking at them but seems to spend more time wiping her beak... I don't know if beak wiping is any kind of indication.

I will order some of the Tylosin to have on hand. I am not sure at this stage if she has a respiratory issue at this time.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along.

 

[Michael A]

Let us know how she gets along.

No change today...
Her eye is still closed and she is not eating.
She is not leaving the coop with the other hens
She is still not showing any signs of respiratory distress

I read about a "one eyed cold" and wonder if she could have that?

I have to following fish antibiotics capsules on hand
Amoxicillin 500 MG
Doxycycline 100 MG
Ciprofloxacin 500MG

I also have probiotics

I am pretty sure an antibiotic is appropriate at this stage but I am not sure which one or the dosage. It's pretty complicated

Apparently Ciproflaxen (is supposed to be the same as Baytril) converts to Enrofloxacin once digested.

My local Tractor Supply has no antiobiotics and I don't want to pay $150 to take the bird to a vet.

Any suggestions?

I have Tylosan on order but wont be here for days

These are a couple of links I found regarding dosage for birds
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/antimicrobial-therapy-birds-proceedings

http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/bird-drugs.html

 

[Michael A]

This is a photo of her poop. I thought it might be helpful. it very moist ALSO i took her out of the coop and she is eating some scratch.

 

[dawg53]

I dont believe she has a respiratory disease. The symptoms arnt there and other birds arnt showing symptoms neither. She mightve been pecked in the eye or near the eye by another bird. There's a pecking order when it comes to feeding time, roosting time etc...
It would be best to continue with the tobramycin twice a day for 5-7 days.
She most likely eats and drinks when others are finished eating. You can observe their behavior after you let them out of the coop first thing in the morning and watch which ones eat first and which ones eat after the head honcho hens eat.
You can always set up another feeder at a different location in your pen, that way the birds lowest in the pecking order get to eat as well.
As far as how the roosting pecking order at night goes, just ensure there's enough roosting space for the amount of birds you have. If there's not enough space between them, there'll be picking and pecking going on. They should have about 12 inches of roost space between them.
Chickens wipe their beaks usually after eating, it's normal. However, I'd like you to open her mouth and see if there are any lesions, bumps, or obstructions and let us know what you see. Hopefully it'll look normal.