Keith Cooper

[keithcooper]

out of about 70 remaining 7-8 week old birds, 3 have gone blind ( eyes fully closed & with no swelling) all others seem to be doing ok, is this acceptable or am I missing something from their diet or treatment. They are all free range & bedding on pine shavings, ventilation & heat source now no problem. Should I treat these 3 with any kind of ointment, but living in South Africa I am not sure what product or treatment to use, all or any advice more than welcome....thank you !

 

[Eggcessive]

How is your coop ventilation? Ammonia odor, dust, and stagnant air can cause eye irritation. Vitamin A deficiency and avian encephalomyelitis can cause blindness in chickens. Respiratoru infection could also be a problem. Saline to flush the eyes, and an antibiotic ointment such as Neomycin-Bacitracin-Polymixin B (triple antibiotic) would be fine to use. Here is a good article to read about eye disorders:http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps031

 

[keithcooper]

Hi Eggscessive, many thanks for the info you sent. As you will find out am also a bit of a 'dummy' on pc's this is now the second time of writing this, having inadvertently deleted my first one, hoping this one goes through. Yep cross flow ventilation was a problem, I had thought that fresh air over the tops of my enclosures would suffice, but after advice from my Vet,I have since drilled a series of holes through all sides at just above chick head height, this seems to have solved some of my problems.I will start today with the saline eye bathing, as suggested also am going to try & source & buy in the ointments you suggested. We 'lost' one of the older birds last night, a Member of my staff brought it to me yesterday afternoon, so I checked all the usual places, but found nothing wrong, it just seemed to have lost the will to live, really distresses & depresses me, this really is a heartbreaking kind of business, not just from a financial aspect but they just seem to 'give up' too easily ! The other 60 or so are showing no signs of illness or sickness, & all running around happily outdoors, & only coming inside for food & water. Anyway we'll see how it goes today, again many thanks for your help, wish they had computers for us to learn in our school days lol...kind regards ..Keith

 

[Eggcessive]

You are welcome. Sorry for your loss. I hope that you have better luck with the rest of the chicks. Feeding a fresh good quality chick grower crumble, and twice a week giving a little probiotic/vitamin additive to their water or feed may help to promote immunity.