Eye swollen shut on pullet

[Pennys Mama]

This pullet has had an issue with her eyes off & on for over a month. She would walk around foraging with one eye shut for long periods of times, not always the same eye. She wasn't having any swelling in it until the last few days. I've tried eye drops/rinse, don't see any pus in it, just looks like the "pink-eye" like cocker spaniels get. She can't open it anymore due to the swelling, and it was completely crushed shut today. I got some Vetrycin Eye Gel today & applied it in & on the eye. Is there anything else that I can do for her that might help?

 

[MROO]

Ouch! Check out this thread on Coryza ... I don't know if that's what you're dealing with, but I just tripped across this one a few minutes ago ... and it looks pretty close. Good Luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/please-help.1338093/

 

[Eggcessive]

Has there been any signs of watery eye or eye bubbles befor the swelling? Is ther any sneeze or cough, gasping, or crackles or wheezes while breathing? I would try an oral antibiotic, such as tylosin (Tylan,) oxytetracycline, doxycycline, or Denagard. This one can be put into the water 1 tsp per gallon of water for 5 days, and that can treat for MG, a chronic respiratory disease:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/

 

[Pennys Mama]

Ouch! Check out this thread on Coryza ... I don't know if that's what you're dealing with, but I just tripped across this one a few minutes ago ... and it looks pretty close. Good Luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/please-help.1338093/

Thanks, I'll definitely check that out.

Has there been any signs of watery eye or eye bubbles befor the swelling? Is ther any sneeze or cough, gasping, or crackles or wheezes while breathing? I would try an oral antibiotic, such as tylosin (Tylan,) oxytetracycline, doxycycline, or Denagard. This one can be put into the water 1 tsp per gallon of water for 5 days, and that can treat for MG, a chronic respiratory disease:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/

No other problems that I observed, now today since the swelling was so bad she was a bit raspy when I was mashing around on her eyeball! No bubbles or the like, but it did crust shut today before I used the Vetrycin gel. I'll check out that website too, thanks.

 

[Pennys Mama]

At this point if it is IC what would be the point in culling her? Aren't all exposed & considered carriers now? I would just have to make my flock an all in/all out flock now, right? Anyone know if IC affects waterfowl? I didn't see anything about that in my research. I'm almost positive of the location that the infection had to have come from as my original flock came from someone with over a 100 barnyard chickens & guineas, not living in the best of conditions.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be mycoplasma or MG instead of coryza. I would not cull for MG, but I would cull to control the spread of coryza. MG can be common in backyard chickens. We just wanted to show you the coryza videos just to show how to get solid pus out of an eye. You would need to compare symptoms and get testing to know for sure what you are treating, and your state vet would be someone to ask about how to get tested. An E.coli or other bacterial infection could also be responsible from debris or a peck to the eye. Can you answer some of the questions about if you saw any of the symptoms in post 3? That might help to determine what you are treating.

 

[Pennys Mama]

....today since the swelling was so bad she was a bit raspy when I was mashing around on her eyeball! No bubbles or the like, but it did crust shut today before I used the Vetrycin gel.

It could be mycoplasma or MG instead of coryza. I would not cull for MG, but I would cull to control the spread of coryza. MG can be common in backyard chickens. We just wanted to show you the coryza videos just to show how to get solid pus out of an eye. You would need to compare symptoms and get testing to know for sure what you are treating, and your state vet would be someone to ask about how to get tested. An E.coli or other bacterial infection could also be responsible from debris or a peck to the eye. Can you answer some of the questions about if you saw any of the symptoms in post 3? That might help to determine what you are treating.

She's been sluggish, less active than her normal meandering around foraging. With the cold weather several of them have been acting stoved up a bit, mainly just staying in the main coop area near the feeders. I hadn't thought much of that actually. She hasn't started laying yet, as she's just now about 20 weeks. No eye bubbles, but I have noticed some nasal drainage/crusting, but no gurgling or crackling sounds. I did just get this bit of yuck out of her eye and packed the eye with triple antibiotic ointment, could that help? I'll research on the MG as well, I'm not gonna rule anything out yet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your state vet can tell you over the phone about how to get tested. In many states, it is only a few dollars. Whether it is MG or coryza, those will make your flock carriers for life. The flock should be closed to new birds, and none should leave. Here is some reading about the two diseases, and you can Google for more articles:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1008 Recognizing and Preventing Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

Here is a list of state vets to get the phone number for yours:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Pennys Mama]

Your state vet can tell you over the phone about how to get tested. In many states, it is only a few dollars. Whether it is MG or coryza, those will make your flock carriers for life. The flock should be closed to new birds, and none should leave. Here is some reading about the two diseases, and you can Google for more articles:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1008 Recognizing and Preventing Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

Here is a list of state vets to get the phone number for yours:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thanks, I copied all of those links!

 

[Pennys Mama]

Just found another with eye swollen shut, but no dried pus in it yet. This one is just about 10-12 weeks but just a runt of a chick. What the heck, here we go. I did have an orphaned chick die a few weeks ago with respiratory type symptoms. I have another couple of its siblings that are sneezing right now, no visible symptoms though at all. A few other chicks have had some feather loss around their eyes, but no other symptoms whatsoever. Does this sound like it is also connected to either MG or IC? I can snap a few pics in a bit if that'd help with the possible feather loss part.