Otherwise healthy looking hen with small amount of bubbles in one eye

[crickettoo]

Hi there,

I have a hen that looks healthy except that she has a small amount of bubbles in one eye only. She isn't sneezing or otherwise acting sick. I've looked at photos of foamy eye that is indicitive of MG and it doesn't look that that. I have some leftover Baytril from a different illness on another chicken. However, I don't want to treat with that antibiotic because of the egg withdrawal time. If it is a slight upper respiratory infection, could I use antibiotic eye drops instead? Would I also need an egg withdrawal time? On BYC on another thread, someone mentioned terramyicin ointment. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Either she has a respiratory infection or she has something in her eye. Has her eye been bubbly all day?

 

[crickettoo]

Yes,
I've noticed it off and on for a few days. I don't think it is an injury. I would guess that it is an upper respiratory infection. I don't want to give oral antibiotics unless really necessary. Could she fight it off on her own? Or, would the antibiotic eye ointment work but not be as systemic as the oral one?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Yes,
I've noticed it off and on for a few days. I don't think it is an injury. I would guess that it is an upper respiratory infection. I don't want to give oral antibiotics unless really necessary. Could she fight it off on her own? Or, would the antibiotic eye ointment work but not be as systemic as the oral one?

Most chickens recover from respiratory infections on their own, like us humans recover a cold. Respiratory diseases are more likely to occur in stressful or cold conditions. Respiratory diseases are highly contagious chicken-to-chicken contact diseases and will come and go. There is no "real" treatment that will get rid of the disease. Though, some people use Tylan 50 for their infected birds to reduce symptoms and death rate.

Check her eye for any in-grown facial feathers, too.

 

[Lady Badlands]

I have a hen that had that foam in the inner eye area on both sides. I think it's because she got some dust in there. I drenched a Q-tip with colloidal silver and gently put it into the foam which then clung to the Q-tip, which I then threw away. I did the same thing with a fresh Q-tip and colloidal silver in the other eye. Then I put a couple of drops of the silver in each eye (like they do with newborn babies to prevent infection) and they look much clearer and there's no more foam. She seems to see better now and is much happier.