Hen suddenly acts blind with puss and significant swelling in one eye.

[Kvassay]

It looks like it was actually eye worm, they pick it up from eating roaches.  It can cause upper respiratory and general ent misery.  Its actually pretty treatable with a flush of ivermectin directly in the eye every three or five days until its cleared up.  I just had one go through this and she looked like your girl with the ear infection and upper respiratory symptoms to boot.  Three courses of ivermectin later and she is back to normal.  Just for future reference, not trying to make you feel bad, its not a common affliciton but it does pop up from time to time and chickens dont generally get it from one another, only from eating an infected cockroach, that's why you may find only one chicken coming down with it.  

After doing some additional research I believe you are correct rbaker0345 and I believe it was eye worm which I have never even heard of! I am defrosting the corpse now for confirmation. I sure wish you had been here a few days ago, I would have been happy to treat her if that is the case! I have a compost pile that is the likely source for the roaches but not sure how to rid them from the compost pile.

 

[rbaker0345]

Honestly, It doesn't seem to be that common. I had a hen come down with it and I treated her for it.That was like three weeks ago and no further signs of illness in anyone else. Besides, the treatment is so easy that its probably easier just to treat for it when it pops up than it is to try to eradicate roaches (good luck with that).

A good way to confirm the eye worm is (if you have a microscope) take a swab from the inside of the corpse's lower lid. drop a couple of drops of saline on the slide and smear the swab into the saline and then cover with a slip. The eggs look like sharp, oval bodies with oval nuclei inside of them. You won't necessarily see any worms but the eggs will be present.

 

[rbaker0345]

Don't feel bad for culling, you didn't know.

 

[Eggcessive]

Was your chicken scratching at her eyes a lot? I have read that chickens with eyeworm will sometimes scratch their eyes out because of the extreme itching. It is a rather rare condition, much more rare than mycoplasma, and mostly is in extremely southern or tropical climates.

 

[Kvassay]

Honestly, It doesn't seem to be that common.  I had a hen come down with it and I treated her for it.That was like three weeks ago and no further signs of illness in anyone else.  Besides, the treatment is so easy that its probably easier just to treat for it when it pops up than it is to try to eradicate roaches (good luck with that).  

A good way to confirm the eye worm is (if you have a microscope) take a swab from the inside of the corpse's lower lid.  drop a couple of drops of saline on the slide and smear the swab into the saline and then cover with a slip.  The eggs look like sharp, oval bodies with oval nuclei inside of them. You won't necessarily see any worms but the eggs will be present.  

Unfortunately I do not have a microscope but her eye looked identical to the one that I saw on this YouTube video.

When I pulled her body out of the freezer I noticed that the swelling around her eye was gone and upon further inspection she now looks normal again. I can't figure out where the worm(s) went but whatever was in her eye is not in her eye anymore. I can't believe that is actually what was ailing her! And I sure wish I had known that was a possibility! Nowhere in my research had that ever been mentioned as a possibility. I guess I am just glad that I am pretty sure it wasn't an infectious virus or bacteria that may require giving antibiotics to the entire flock.

I need to get a microscope.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Kvassay]

Was your chicken scratching at her eyes a lot? I have read that chickens with eyeworm will sometimes scratch their eyes out because of the extreme itching. It is a rather rare condition, much more rare than mycoplasma, and mostly is in extremely southern or tropical climates.

I didn't notice any scratching but being a Holiday week I spent less time with the girls then I usually do.

 

[frogsnchickens]

Just to add on th mg and the eye. I have been batteling mg for almost two years. I have no idea how my small flock contracted this evil disease. It started out with a few coughing, sneezing. I thought I had chickens with colds. More research (no chicken vet in area) tried meds. One just dropped dead. Then another. Some looking sickly. Low egg production. Over months I felt with this using different antibiotics in the water and losing chickens left and right. Called every one I knew to call. FDA, Texas state ag dept. etc. a university in another state finally offered some help and patched me through to people in tx who immediately wanted to test my chickens and ground for avian flu etc. they have mg/ms. There is NO cure. It wil stay forever. Come and go whenever. I will not be able to guve any chickens away or bring in new ones as it will pass on the disease. I am constantly having to treat with antibiotics. The secondary infections from the weakened immune systems is what generally kills the bird. My choice was and still is; kill off my entire flock clean and disinfect, let it all sit over at least two summer months and start over with ms/mg free birds OR continue on with the ones I have and go through all of this chaos. I love my birds. They r dear to me so I have been dealing with it as best as I can. However I would not necessarily recxomend this choice to someone else. It has been extremely time consuming, expensive and heart breaking all at the same time. I do NOT let any of them suffer. If one is sickly and meds r not working after An appropriate time period I am forced to put the bird down.
I post this to warn others on the seriousness of this disease. DO look at only getting birds certified mg free, do vaccinate if at all possible. Good luck to all!

 

[Eggcessive]

Quote:
A good way to confirm the eye worm is (if you have a microscope) take a swab from the inside of the corpse's lower lid. drop a couple of drops of saline on the slide and smear the swab into the saline and then cover with a slip. The eggs look like sharp, oval bodies with oval nuclei inside of them. You won't necessarily see any worms but the eggs will be present.

 

[casportpony]

I'd also like to know...

-Kathy

 

[rbaker0345]

Sorry i took so long computer needs software reloaded so have top use fricka-frackin' phone. I couldnt find pics of eyeworm eggs either. But eyeworm is a schistosome and the eggs I saw very closely resembled schistosome eggs except without the hook. So I took a chance on assuming they were eyeworm eggs and it really paid off. This was like a month ago and nobody else has come down with it.