Pale and/or swollen faces, trying to decide treatment

Ohio Duck

In the Brooder
Jan 24, 2025
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Last week one of my hens developed a swollen face/eye. We consulted an online vet and were prescribed antibacterial eyedrops. These arrived on Tuesday and I'm not sure they're fixing the issue.

I now have two hens with swollen eyes, and a third who is very pale. One of the swollen eye hens is also pale around the wattles. They scratch and shake their heads.

They have good energy and are foraging as normal.

I am thinking the most likely possibilities are:

MG/mycoplasma: Treated a sneezing hen in April with Terramycin which cleared up four months of sneezing. So it is very possible that my flock carries MG. However none of them have any discharge or respiratory symptoms currently.

Mites: Would cause anemia and itching.

Have you seen anything like this, and what would you do to treat? I have Ivermectin pour-on, Safeguard oral dewormer, Terramycin, and the eyedrops.

This is the sickliest flock ever. Every couple of months brings a new problem. 😓





 

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Head shaking can sometimes be from clearing mucus from the airways. Can you see any mites on the body around the neck, under wings, under vent and belly? Permethrin garden dust (Gardstar or Prozap) at feed stores can treat mites if you see them moving or find them in the coop. Tylosin powder or TiaGard in the water can treat mycoplasma. Since you had good luck with the Terramycin in the past (was it used orally in the water?) then use it.
 
Head shaking can sometimes be from clearing mucus from the airways. Can you see any mites on the body around the neck, under wings, under vent and belly? Permethrin garden dust (Gardstar or Prozap) at feed stores can treat mites if you see them moving or find them in the coop. Tylosin powder or TiaGard in the water can treat mycoplasma. Since you had good luck with the Terramycin in the past (was it used orally in the water?) then use it.
Thank you for taking the time to help, I greatly appreciate it.

I used the Terramycin in the food and water, yes. Thank you for the possible explanation of the head shaking.
It is odd because she is not sneezing or having any other respiratory symptoms. But she is pale and thin and I am very worried.

I have examined her skin and not found evidence of mites. I plan to deep clean the coop and dust it this week just in case. I wasn't sure if they could be visible to the eye.

I'm a little nervous to start a new round of Terramycin because I don't want to overuse antibiotics if it's not a bacterial issue. But it did help before. She gained weight after treatment which unfortunately she seems to have lost again.

The swollen eyes in the other two are clearing up. They have pale white eyelids, but better color in the comb and rest of the face.
 

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