Eye Swollen Shut. Looks like pus. No respiratory symptoms noted. How to treat?

[RebeccaS2010]

How do I treat this myself? I have terramycin ointment and saline solution. Is that sufficient? If so, how often? And how do best I wrangle a wild hen?

This RIR hen is approximately 1.5 years old and basically unhandled. She seemed fine last night, but had one eye swollen and completely shut this morning. There was a little liquid coming out of the corner, and some yellowish goop that appears to be pus coming out of the middle where her eyelids meet.

The other eye appears normal. She doesn’t have any other obvious respiratory symptoms. We dealt with fowl pox last summer. We have some chickens with scabs, but we just integrated our “baby” flock with these adults, and a couple of our 14-week old cockerels have been skirmishing with the hens. So, I’ve been chalking scabs up to injuries, not fowl pox. This girl doesn’t have any other signs of injuries, but I do know one of cockerels has been mean to her.

She hung out in the coop all morning, but was out in the yard with the flock this afternoon. I did observe her eating grass and bugs. She’s not lethargic.

Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?

oh, and I’m not sure why the picture is sideways. It’s not on my phone.

 

[MysteryChicken]

That does look like pus.

Only things I've dealt with is, a Sinus infection, & Eye injury.

Not quite sure what's going on with your hen. It may one of those I mentioned, or could be the starting of something worse, such as Coryza, or Mycoplasma Gallisepticum.

 

[MysteryChicken]

For a Sinus infection, I treated with Saline Solution, Paper Towel(For Wiping), VetRX, & Triple Antibiotic Ointment. This was over the course of several weeks until it cleared up.

Eye injury, I used lightly Salted Water, Paper Towels(For Wiping), Triple Antibiotic ointment(Short time, was waiting for Terramycin to Arrive), Terramycin eye ointment. The rooster is blind in one eye, due to the injury, but other then that he's doing fine.

 

[RebeccaS2010]

Hoping to bump this up in the posts for some new replies.

We’ve been treating twice per day with saline, removing any pus we can, and putting in terramycin. Also started giving sulfa antibiotic orally (already had it on hand).

Issue seems to be limited to the third eye lid. Eyeball seems fine. No obvious respiratory symptoms. Swelling has gone down some, and was opening eye a little yesterday.

BUT, today she is more lethargic. She is eating a little bit, but I’ve only observed her drinking once or twice, and just one swallow at a time.

What can I do to give her an energy boost and encourage her to eat and drink?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you see anything inside the eye, such as a speck of dirt, a seed, etc? Is there any nasal drainage, sneeze or cough, or rattly breathing? Two respiratory diseases can cause a swollen eyelid and sinus infection. Those are coryza which sulfa antibiotics may help, and MG, which Tylosin, and tetracycline drugs may treat. Does she have a bad odor from the face?

For nutrients, moistened chicken feed, scrambled egg, tuna, and canned cat food are things I have used to tempt to eat. Water is most important, and Poultry NutriDrench can be helpful.

Here is a good video of extracting pus:

 

[RebeccaS2010]

Can you see anything inside the eye, such as a speck of dirt, a seed, etc? Is there any nasal drainage, sneeze or cough, or rattly breathing? Two respiratory diseases can cause a swollen eyelid and sinus infection. Those are coryza which sulfa antibiotics may help, and MG, which Tylosin, and tetracycline drugs may treat. Does she have a bad odor from the face?

For nutrients, moistened chicken feed, scrambled egg, tuna, and canned cat food are things I have used to tempt to eat. Water is most important, and Poultry NutriDrench can be helpful.

Here is a good video of extracting pus:

Can’t see anything, but there is a small scab on the corner of her outer eyelid. So that may be causing irritation. No bad odor, rattling breathing, or sinus drainage.

However, I am panicking slightly that she might have aspirated some of the sulfa antibiotic.

I added electrolytes to her water. I’ll try wet feed and tuna since I have that on hand!

 

[Mamatomany123]

Hoping to bump this up in the posts for some new replies.

We’ve been treating twice per day with saline, removing any pus we can, and putting in terramycin. Also started giving sulfa antibiotic orally (already had it on hand).

Issue seems to be limited to the third eye lid. Eyeball seems fine. No obvious respiratory symptoms. Swelling has gone down some, and was opening eye a little yesterday.

BUT, today she is more lethargic. She is eating a little bit, but I’ve only observed her drinking once or twice, and just one swallow at a time.

What can I do to give her an energy boost and encourage her to eat and drink?

View attachment 2800429

When my hens were sick with MG I would wet some feed and turn it into a thicker mash. Then I would pick them up, get some wet feed, and open their beaks then drop it in. I would do that until it was gone (and with 18 birds that took some time). But I would do that around 2x a day until they began eating again on their own.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Can you see anything inside the eye, such as a speck of dirt, a seed, etc? Is there any nasal drainage, sneeze or cough, or rattly breathing? Two respiratory diseases can cause a swollen eyelid and sinus infection. Those are coryza which sulfa antibiotics may help, and MG, which Tylosin, and tetracycline drugs may treat. Does she have a bad odor from the face?

X2 on all of this

Chickens often survive Coryza and MG, but it does remain in their system for life and will be spread to any new birds. I've had a questionable respiratory outbreak in my own flocks, but no deaths and therefore no necropsy's nor confirmation of illness, however I would suggest at least researching your state's necropsy lab to be safe. My birds responded well to Baytril, but it probably took 4-6 weeks for all swelling to go away.

I will say while my birds had a lot of eye swelling, one to the extent that it pushed her lower beak to the side, there was no pus, so I believe the case was less severe.

 

[Eggcessive]

Are you giving the antibiotic orally or in water? I usually try to make them drink on their own, or only give oral medicine1/4 ml at a time, letting them swallow each amount. Pull wattles down, put in dose, release wattles to swallow and repeat. If one aspirates, about all you can do is give support. Usually, they will get over it.

Sulfa will not treat MG, and coryza smells bad. I would try to get Tylosin (or Tylan.)

 

[RebeccaS2010]

Are you giving the antibiotic orally or in water? I usually try to make them drink on their own, or only give oral medicine1/4 ml at a time, letting them swallow each amount. Pull wattles down, put in dose, release wattles to swallow and repeat. If one aspirates, about all you can do is give support. Usually, they will get over it.

I was doing orally. I will try 1/4 ml at a time.