My silkie has an eye infection

[Speakeasychicks]

My 7 month old silkie Cha cha has a bad eye infection, I first noticed dry crusty skin on her face and just thought it was dry...( I am a first time chicken mom since March) I have had the worst luck! First our rooster my sons favorite chicken was eaten by the dog,( he went in the kennel ) Then of course he wanted more so he ripped off the run door and got honey, who I saved, her leg was broke, she still walks funny over 2 months later, but keeps up with every one, then we lost my daughter's favorite 5 week old chick, no clue why it died, i cried more than the kids and gave her a proper burial. I then saw blood in the coop and freaked out called 13 vets and no one would see my chickens, thank God for the poop chart on this sight! Turns out it was intestinal shedding now my silkies eyes are jacked up! Oh and I should mention I have still not gotten eggs I found a vet this time to see chacha and after 4 prescriptions and $200 later for my $3 chicken, I still don't think the vet knows what it is, maybe some of you experts can help
Sorry that was long....

Even her ear looks swollen and not the normal blue, one eye was totally shut the other crusty...

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear about your hen.

Crusty eyes in birds can be caused by several things ranging from respiratory diseases to environmental issues, injuries directly to the eye, or fungal infections.

Besides the eye, is the hen exhibiting any other symptoms such as sneezing, nasal discharge, or rattled breathing? Could you name the four prescriptions the vet gave you? What else has been done so far regarding treatment? Is the hen eating/drinking well? What kind of area is she being kept in during the day?

When I see a bird with a bad eye infection, I start off by performing a menace reaction, which basically consists of moving one hand slowly towards her eye and looking for a reaction. She should move her head back in an attempt to dodge your hand, but if she doesn't, most likely he eyesight is deteriorating in health.

As of now, I would try flushing the eye copiously with either saline or eyewash, wiping off any gunk with a damp towel, then applying either an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin, or an ophthalmic ointment like Terramycin.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Have you notice any lice or mites on her?

I agree with @Isaac 0 I would start with flushing the eye an applying an ointment.
That crusty skin, is it only on her face/ears or do you see it elsewhere on the body?
Can you take a look inside her ear to see if there's infection?

 

[Speakeasychicks]

You can't see the name of all the meds in the pic. Can you let us know what they are? I am currently dealing with eye issues as well, this is my first time too!

Meloxicam is the pain and anti inflammatory
Doxycycline is antibiotics

 

[Speakeasychicks]

Meloxicam is the pain and anti inflammatory
Doxycycline is antibiotics

Oops hit the button...
Fluconazole is the last one oh and drops are tobramycin

 

[Speakeasychicks]

Thank you! I saw the Tobramyacin. I have a young hen that has developed conjunctivitis while fighting fowl pox. I just looked in my cabinet and i have some. How did the vet recommend using it?

Oh no its 1 to 2 drops in both eyes 4 times a day for 14 days.

 

[Speakeasychicks]

It may be fungal hard to know.
Scaly Face Mites comes to mind too.
Did the vet take any scrapings to help I.D. what may be going on?

If you are struggling getting meds into her, you may need to swaddle her in a towel to help control her.
For mine, I like to stand up, place them on a table so I can pull them to me with my left arm, I use my body and elbow to "hold" them, that frees up the left hand to control the head. She doesn't have wattles, so you will need to grab the rear section of her beak between your middle finger and thumb, gently squeeze to get her beak open, from there you can get your pointer finger in the beak - pop the pill in with your right hand, immediately let go of her head so she can swallow. I know, sometimes they are very good at spitting out pills.

You can also crush up her dose (make it powder), mix it with just a bit of liverwurst or similar and give it that way.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...er-construction-check-back-for-updates.73335/

Oh opening her beak that way is helpful, thats not what I was doing I'm definitely learning a lot! The vet did not take any samples of the skin....now my other silkie has it, so its obviously contagious, they sleep together and are vest friends, it must be itchy because the flakes are minor but its getting red swollen spots from her itching I think. I read several things online that people used Monistat 7 or the athlets foot cream, so I bought that and rubbed it on carefully with a q tip 1 on each side to see what looks better. Something else I read was iodine. If I can't do the pill I'm definitely going to try the liverwurst!! Thank you!! I will let you know how it goes!!

 

[Speakeasychicks]

If you don't mind, take photos to document your progress, it may be helpful to others.

The only other thing I can think of would be Scaly Face Mites.
Do you notice if her Leg Scales seem to be raised? Any problems with Scaly Leg Mites?

Yes I will definitely document my girls progress! From what I saw today I think the monistat 7 worked better that the athletes foot! I will take pictures of my girl tomorrow, I never took before pictures of Honey, her case was minor when I caught it. I cant find any mites on either of them, I have fresh herbs that they eat for natural pest control, and I use diatomaceous earth in their dust bath, and I clean my run every 2 days.

 

[Kiki]

Eye infections are usually related to respiratory disease.
What 4 prescriptions did you get?

 

[Speakeasychicks]

Eye infections are usually related to respiratory disease.
What 4 prescriptions did you get?

I took a picture of them, drops, antibiotics, pain and inflation and one more he said her breathing sounded good...