Foaming Eyes in Chicken

[Petuniaismyfav]

Hello,
I have five pet chickens in our backyard. Today I noticed that my three year old easter egger has foam in the front corners of both eyes. She was also opening her beak really wide as if to "crow" but no sound came out. I googled this and her eyes looks like images i saw of chickens with Mycoplasma, but other than what i described she doesn't have other symptoms and seems healthy - her comb is bright pink, is a good weight, she has laid several eggs this week, etc.

I ran out to the feed store before they closed and bought the only treatment for respiratory illness that they sold - VetRx. When I got home, she looked perfectly normal with no foam around the eyes.

What does everyone think this is? If mycoplasma, can the symptoms be intermittent (the foaming eyes might come and go)?
I moved her inside the house to keep her warm and keep her away from the rest of the flock. What else can I do to help her? Could the foaming eyes be caused by something else, like wind? I have had chickens for six years and have never seen this before.

Thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer!

 

[seminolewind]

If you've had these chickens and there's no new ones, how did she catch something? How does her poo look? Is she gasping? Or breathing too fast?

 

[Petuniaismyfav]

If you've had these chickens and there's no new ones, how did she catch something? How does her poo look? Is she gasping? Or breathing too fast?

Thank you. Poo totally normal and she is not gasping. Since I posted earlier i have not seen any symptoms. I failed to mention that I have two new chickens that I got feb 15 from a very reputable source who appear healthy and are laying like crazy. We get a lot of wild birds that fly into my enclosure during the day when the chickens are free ranging. I wonder if that is where this
came from.

 

[2 many chickens]

Some of my chickens had foamy eye thing on a few yrs ago, I assumed it was fowl pox. They only had foamy eye thing and that's it. I put some stuff in their eyes and it cleared up over time. There isn't a cure or anything, it will go away on it's on.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just check her often to see if the eye bubbles come back. It can be a sign of MG, but only testing would confirm that. There are mild strains of MG, and it can come and go. I once had a hen with a feathered face, and she had foam in her eyes at times, and then it would improve later in the day. She had no other symptoms of sneezing or congestion. I gave Tylan for a few days just in case, although I had not added new birds. It had no effect, so I assumed it was something with her tear ducts. Without vet testing, it is hard to know.

 

[Petuniaismyfav]

Some of my chickens had foamy eye thing on a few yrs ago, I assumed it was fowl pox. They only had foamy eye thing and that's it. I put some stuff in their eyes and it cleared up over time. There isn't a cure or anything, it will go away on it's on.

Thank you so much. This is comforting. Do you know what you put in her eyes? Maybe just saline solution?

 

[Petuniaismyfav]

I would just check her often to see if the eye bubbles come back. It can be a sign of MG, but only testing would confirm that. There are mild strains of MG, and it can come and go. I once had a hen with a feathered face, and she had foam in her eyes at times, and then it would improve later in the day. She had no other symptoms of sneezing or congestion. I gave Tylan for a few days just in case, although I had not added new birds. It had no effect, so I assumed it was something with her tear ducts. Without vet testing, it is hard to know.

Thank you. This is also very comforting to know that you have experienced this and it cleared up. I checked her this morning (we are in CA) and she looks great. I will keep her separated for another day or two and keep monitoring. Happy Easter/Passover!

 

[seminolewind]

Thank you. Poo totally normal and she is not gasping. Since I posted earlier i have not seen any symptoms. I failed to mention that I have two new chickens that I got feb 15 from a very reputable source who appear healthy and are laying like crazy. We get a lot of wild birds that fly into my enclosure during the day when the chickens are free ranging. I wonder if that is where this
came from.

I'm sure you got 2 healthy birds but they could have been carriers of something. As well as wild birds Grrrrrrrrrr! I have a lot too. Probably no point in any quarantine. If the symptoms are decreasing, it's probably going away. I guess time will tell.

 

[seminolewind]

This is one of my favorite sites. I always keep it pinned to my home page
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044