Newbies! Trying to help my 12yr old son fix an illness.

[BacktoNature]

We are new to this and could use somr help. We have a small mixed flock that was healthy until he got a pair of Bantams from a local farm. Birds appeared to be healty when w got them. The hen (pictured) is in the worst shape. It started a couple days after we got them. He noticed the roster had a crusty film on one eye. We took the bird bac to the place we got it from. She kept it and gave it antibiotics for a couple days and then we got it back. Since then the hen got the same and seems to be worse than the rooster. Both eyes are like in the picture. She can open them but prefers not to. I have been researching the prob and have been treating the eyes with solution to clean and neosporine to medicate. Have also noticed the foul smell and couch or sneeze from the rooster an started them on Sulmet (antibiotic for respitory disease) Birds have been seperate from rest of flock since we got them however I feel there may have been interaction between sick birds, flock and my son. Treating all with antibiotics for last two days as precaution as I have seen the cough orsneeze from our Rhode Island red rooster. Aslo: when cleaning the eyes there is a white pus (or worm?) Can anyone help give us some advise on the situation. Like I said - we are new to this and this is our first year/summer that we have been getting eggs. Since starting on meds I gave kept those eggs seperate from the rest. Are these eggs safe to eat?

Thanks for any and all help!!! Kraig & Dakota(son)

 

[BacktoNature]

Also: poop sems normal and the birds sems to be eating ok.

 

[FlyHigher]

Could it be fowl pox(dry)?
I've never handled this, so I'm not sure. Hope someone can give you some better advice.

 

[HenFriend]

I would throw the eggs away if using antibiotics. Could be mycoplasma? My flock had that once, but I didn't notice a bad smell or anything coming from the eyes. Used Tylan soluble from vet to treat.

 

[Sylvestor12]

This might help...http://www.ehow.com/about_5498609_chicken-eye-infection.html

Hope she gets better!

 

[FlyHigher]

btw, could cough and sneezing be the symptom of wet pox? Maybe you should check the rooster's throat to find out.
On the other hand, symptoms like these also can mean mycoplasma, as HenFriend said, or paracolon.

 

[Suzierd]

I would return the chickens and don't get them back. Disinfect everything they touched their not worth infecting your healthy flock. Coryza has a bad smell to it and I hope it's not that.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/82/infectious-coryza

 

[BacktoNature]

Thanks for the feedback... Have talked with the previous owner and taking them back may be the solution. Have disinfected and cleaned Everything... I thought that they may have coryza also and traveled that road thus far. They have been isolated from the flock in a seperate pen since we got them.

Can someone inform us about what the antibiotics do to the eggs that suggests they not be used? Just curious...

Will also research the other illnesses suggested here. THANKS again!

 

[Suzierd]

There will be traces of the antibiotic in the eggs, just toss them for ten days after last treatment. Don't feed them back to the chickens it will make them build resistants to the antibiotic and it will make withdrawal time longer.

 

[speckledhen]

Wouldn't keep those birds if I were you. They most likely have mycoplasmosis, which is basically incurable. Astounding that people will sell you birds, know they are sick (seller knew this for sure when you took it back) and pass it off on you anyway.


Most respiratory diseases of chickens are carrier diseases, which means they are like herpes viruses and stay in the body and make a Typhoid Mary of that bird, able to infect others even when the symptoms are gone. Antibiotics will not change that and NO antibiotic will fix a virus, period.