my chicken has swollen eye with bubbling liquid

[rockstarmeeka]

I have a curious question. Could chickens like this just be butchered and eaten? Again JUST CURIOUS.

 

[rockstarmeeka]

Hi,I just had to take a silky hen to the vet because of bubbles coming out of both eyes and she  was listless. He has pet chickens and been in business for 35 years. He said he had never seen anything like it. He gave me an antibiotic called Bactrim, its very strong but it worked. I think it was a respiratory infection. Its very contagious. I had to separate her from the rest of my flock but everyday I noticed a couple more with it so I just started dosing all of them morning and night. 31 chickens. What a job but they are my babies, and i will do whatever it takes. I think we are all safe now Didnt lose any. Most of my chickens are very small, they can stand in my hand. They look like miniature bantams and took a very small dose .Good luck but it is contagious.I could tell every morning which one had it by looking at their eyes. One would be crusted shut and the other weak. I just kept separating them as  they got sick then rotating them back in the pen a couple of days later as they got better. You could see a difference after 2 or 3 doses of the Bactrim. The vet also gave me eye drops called Ofloxacin.

ON THE BACTRIM, did you put an ointment in the eye? I have some BACTRIM ointment and was curious if I could just use this.....

 

[rockstarmeeka]

I wonder if Human pink eye medicine would work, like vigamox???

 

[AshP]

I have a curious question. Could chickens like this just be butchered and eaten? Again JUST CURIOUS.

Well....Yes If you decided to kill your chicken and eat it you could do that. I'm sure your chicken would taste perfectly good and you would suffer no ill effects(providing its cooked properly!)

Could a sick bird like this enter the food chain? Highly unlikely! Before any birds are slaughtered for human consumption a legal document must be filled in by the farmer called and FCI (Food Chain information) This states weather the birds are fit for slaughter and if they are suffering from any disease or indeed any treatments from diseases. This form is received by a vet at the slaughterhouse who checks the birds and the information and confirms them fit/unfit for slaughter

In reply to some of this thread:
Chickens and many other types of poultry are extremely unacceptable to bacterial infections this causes the symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and swollen eyes amongst others. Mycoplasma which is widely known is generally vaccinated against these days but this is just one type of bacterial infection. There are many types of bacterial infection that can lead to swollen eyes Mycoplasma being one of the worst. In my experience I have treated with Tylan effectively along with some anti-biotics.

 

[DSTchickencraze]

Hey! I've been having the same issues with two of my pullets!!! It started with just bubbles in both of their eyes.... So I quarantined the two of them from the rest of the flock... We've been flushing both of their eyes with saline solution and taking a warm tea bag and soaking their eyes (its an old russian melody that my dad used on his chickens in Ukraine)... This managed to work on my Cochin pullet... her eye is fine now, but the marans got really bad....

This is what it started as


and it turned to this....




I still have the cochin isolated with her just because I don't want her to die of loneliness or anything... plus I'm still not sure if she hasn't become a carrier of something...
These two were in the same pen together with only a cochin roo when they got the eye thing. I got them all out of that pen, but the cochin roo snuck back in and has been there for the past month and hasn't seem to be affected by anything at all... and he was in there for a few days before I could disinfect everything... I don't want to put the two of them back until I can either get the eye cleared up or know for sure it isn't contagious....

Like I said... the cochin's eye is perfectly fine now, isn't swollen, bubbly, anything... The marans though is giving off a strange smell (which I have read could be a bad respiratory disease like infectious coryza...)... I just need to know if theres a chance of getting it better or if it would be best to cull her... Also I need to know if it would be safe to put the cochin pullet back with the rooster she was with...

 

[casportpony]

Pus needs to be removed.

-Kathy

 

[DSTchickencraze]

We've been trying with the tea bags and stuff which has made it loosen up and break up some... How would you suggest to get rid of the pus?

 

[casportpony]

Squeeze and tweeze.

-Kathy

 

[Terri O]

I have had several hens that come down with what your Marans has. Press all around the eye and get all the gunk out. (it is gross but needs to be done) Then get her on an antibiotic--I usually use Tylan50 powder in the water. She might recover but also might be blind. HTH.
TerriO

 

[battagliac]

Thanks for your two threads on housekeeping. I have heard this too, and your message helps drive it home. We use rice straw for bedding and change it every 3 weeks or so. I completely remove it to the compost and then vacuum out the boxes. I also vacuum out the coop about the same time. As far a ventilation, do you leave it open on cold nights as well, close part way, all the way, etc. Our chickens are out all day except to lay eggs, so just wondering about that. Thanks!