Please Help!!!!

[danielleslittlefarm]

I normally buy all my chickens at a few days old and so far everything has been great! Me and my fiance recently went to the flea market and stumbled upon a Lavender Orpington pair, that I have been dying to have, anyways coming up on almost 4weeks ago Big Boy, my rooster, had this awful cough, rattling, sneezing thing going on and his right eye seemed to be swollen.

i take him to one of the few poultry vets we have, they put him on Baytril and it seemed to clear the cough, rattling, and sneezing but not the swollen eye. I make him an appointment the next week and they put him on Tylosin 50 and it did not touch the swollen eye and his left eye started swelling so i took him back last week and they put him on Oxytetracycline, the swelling still has not went down. The vet swabbed his eye to run some tests, that was last week and i have still not heard anything, and i have called the past 3 days because they told me the results would be in on Monday and i am worried sick over him.

I have separated him from my other animals, and sanitized everything. When this first happened i looked in his eye and could not see a foreign object, i cleaned it with saline solution and put the Terramycin on first his left and now his right eye.
He eats and drinks great. He scratches at his eyes even though i try to stop him he still does it. there does seem to be a slight smell about him but even with all this he is still his sweet self.

Any info is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks In Advance!!!


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[Wishing4Wings]

It sounds and looks like Infectious Coryza (a bacterial infection). You would be wise to research and see if the symptoms match and consider whether you want to keep your pretty boy, who could wind up being a carrier and spread the disease, even after he recovers and seems healthy. The vet should know what this is.

The swelling in the eye is probably pus, which in chickens is the consistency of cheese curd. If you can gently open the eyelid, you might be able to remove the pus with a q-tip or even use gentle pressure to get it out. This kind of pus cannot drain or clear on its own.

Sorry, I wish I knew more to help you. Someone will be along soon who knows more than I do.

 

[Shezadandy]

Check this thread out- answers the what and how-to of it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/puffy-eye-oozing.1337251/

On post# 12, @Eggcessive linked to a youtube video that shows what needs to happen. It is decidedly less than appetizing, but it needs to happen if they're to recover.

 

[Shezadandy]

This might be the other link provided. Couldn't open the second video in the other thread to get the actual link.

 

[Eggcessive]

With the swelling in both eyes, and a bad odor, it could be coryza. Sometimes an MG infection can become complicated by E.coli or another type of bacteria that can cause pus behind the eye and in the sinuses. Sometimes a seed pod or other piece of debris can get into the eye and cause infection. A peck injury around the eye might also cause this , but with both eyes affected, coryza seems possible.

Antibiotics may not get rid of the pus when it has gotten that bad, so it does have to be removed. Let us know what the culture shows. Avibacterium paragallnarum is the bacteria that causes coryza, while mycoplasma gallisepticum is the organism that causes MG. E.coli, pseudomonas, and other bacteria might be found.

Baytril probably is better for treatment that Tylan if you are dealing with bacteria other than MG, but it also treats MG. Too bad the vet didn’t remove the pus earlier. I hope that your rooster gets better. Remember that you should keep a closed flock now, since all birds may be carriers of this partuclar disease for life. There may be future outbreaks when there is stress, such as during cold winter weather and molting.

 

[danielleslittlefarm]

UPDATE: Thanks for all the wonderful advice and videos!!

I talked with the vet this morning, the culture hasn't come back yet, but she told me this is her first poultry case, so that makes me a little unsettled, well actually alot lol! But she said that she is going to do some research on the Coryza and the MG, which is the advice i got from you all, and she is suppose to call me tomorrow and go over everything with me.

The vet did tell me that she would give him gas Friday and lance the pus in his eyes, that way it would be easier on him, which should have been done weeks ago in my opinion, but here we are.

If it is MG does the eye still need to be lanced?

And i read on a forum that there is a antibiotic for pigs that cures Coryza?

Am i better off just laying him at rest so i don't have to go through this again with my flock?

If he has either Coryza or MG what should i do in the long run with Big Boy and my flock?

There are so many questions i have that i don't have the answer to at this point and it kills me to see him this way.

 

[Rammy]

If your chicken has Coryza or MG, its highly contagious, there is no cure, and all the rest of the flock is at risk of contracting it. You need to start a strict biosecurity regiment and keep a closed flock. No new on, none out or you can spread it to other flocks if your neighbors have any. You can also carry it on your shoes and clothes, so changing your clothes and having barn only shoes is a must IMO.
I have MG in my flock and suspect it came here from people I sold hens to. My fault completely for not having strict measures set up. I do now. I hope the tests come back as something else but it doesnt look likely. Another reason, too, to quarantine for 30 days before allowing a new chicken in your flock.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

If it is MG does the eye still need to be lanced?

And i read on a forum that there is a antibiotic for pigs that cures Coryza?

The eye doesn't need to be lanced at all, it just needs to have the pus removed. Can usually be done without cutting, but it might be harder for being in there so long.

The medication for pigs... are you talking about Denagard? That will control MG in your flock. I don't think it will cure the MG, but will limit outbreaks. It's commonly used for poultry in Europe, but has not been approved in the US for chickens so would be off label. I have read, in Europe, there is no egg withdrawal using this medication. It is not an antibiotic in the traditional sense.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

UPDATE: Thanks for all the wonderful advice and videos!!

I talked with the vet this morning, the culture hasn't come back yet, but she told me this is her first poultry case, so that makes me a little unsettled, well actually alot lol! But she said that she is going to do some research on the Coryza and the MG, which is the advice i got from you all, and she is suppose to call me tomorrow and go over everything with me.

The vet did tell me that she would give him gas Friday and lance the pus in his eyes, that way it would be easier on him, which should have been done weeks ago in my opinion, but here we are.

If it is MG does the eye still need to be lanced?

And i read on a forum that there is a antibiotic for pigs that cures Coryza?

Am i better off just laying him at rest so i don't have to go through this again with my flock?

If he has either Coryza or MG what should i do in the long run with Big Boy and my flock?

There are so many questions i have that i don't have the answer to at this point and it kills me to see him this way.

Sorry to hear you are dealing with this.

Hopefully you will get the test results back soon.
You are in TN so if you decide to cull him, I believe necropsy/testing may be free if you go through your state lab. It's worth a call to find out. https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/pets/animal-health-diagnostic-lab0.html

No one can tell you what to do.
There is no cure for MG or Coryza. Both make birds and those exposed carriers for life. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Pennys Mama]

I normally buy all my chickens at a few days old and so far everything has been great! Me and my fiance recently went to the flea market and stumbled upon a Lavender Orpington pair, that I have been dying to have, anyways coming up on almost 4weeks ago Big Boy, my rooster, had this awful cough, rattling, sneezing thing going on and his right eye seemed to be swollen.
I take him to one of the few poultry vets we have, they put him on Baytril and it seemed to clear the cough, rattling, and sneezing but not the swollen eye. I make him an appointment the next week and they put him on Tylosin 50 and it did not touch the swollen eye and his left eye started swelling so I took him back last week and they put him on Oxytetracycline, the swelling still has not went down. The vet swabbed his eye to run some tests, that was last week and I have still not heard anything, and I have called the past 3 days because they told me the results would be in on Monday and I am worried sick over him.
I have separated him from my other animals, and sanitized everything. When this first happened I looked in his eye and could not see a foreign object, I cleaned it with saline solution and put the Terramycin on first his left and now his right eye.
He eats and drinks great. He scratches at his eyes even though I try to stop him he still does it. there does seem to be a slight smell about him but even with all this he is still his sweet self.
Any info is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks In Advance!!!
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I've got the same issue going on with a 20 week bantam pullet I've had since I got her from the feed store just days old. She's one of my favorites & should start laying anytime.

This might be the other link provided. Couldn't open the second video in the other thread to get the actual link.

Awesome video, but what if there's not dried pus but only swollen pink flesh in the eye?

No one can tell you what to do. There is no cure for MG or Coryza. Both make birds and those exposed carriers for life. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

That's great, absolutely NOT wonderful! And future hatchlings? Other breeds of birds affected as well?