Please take a look at my chickens....WHAT CAN I DO???

[Titania]

I've only been doing backyard chickens for a year so I'm pretty new at this. I don't know what's serious or what's not serious.

I posted about this pullet's eye a few days ago. (Miette) Here are pics of the eye of more than a week ago:

and here are pics that I just barely took:

so, it's getting worse in that it's getting more swollen. But there's no drainage, no discharge, no redness, no blood, no whiteness, no discharge from her nose, no signs of a flu or cold...it's been the same for weeks and weeks. Is this really conjunctivitis? The only thing is a coughing/gagging sound (but it is 100+ and they are sooo hot and thirsty all the time) and an occasional sneeze. I'm leaving out of the country for a week tomorrow and I am so screwed with this.

Also, my other chicken Rosie, can't walk on her right foot. No signs of injury, no bumble foot, no redness or swelling anywhere on the leg shank. I turned her upside down and moved each of her legs and they seem to move fine and I couldn't feel any warmth or anything "loose" or "stiff". She's not acting like herself.

Here is a video I took. Sorry it's so long! I should have edited it and cut out stuff. Like I said, I'm leaving tomorrow for 10 days (!!!!!) Am I coming back to a flock of dead chickens? What could be wrong with them? What can I do for them?

Thank you for looking and I really appreciate your advice & help!

 

[TwoCrows]

From the looks of the eye and the description of one of your other chickens have difficulty walking, it sounds like it could be Marek's disease. It is a viral disease and there is no clinical treatment. However there are many folks working with it on the forums lately and some have claimed to have made a difference. Here is a thread about someone dealing with Marek's. Read thru it and maybe you can work with your chickens as she has done here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=544736

Maybe someone else will chime in here and have more information for you. I am sorry I could not be of more help.

 

[Kazzandra]

First of all, I'm not an expert... I only know what I know from my own experience with chickens.

Second of all, your flock is gorgeous!

For others, the limping starts at around 2 minutes if you want to take a look.

So I've seen a cochin chicken do this same sort of limping after jumping down from her perch wrong. I gave the whole flock chick vitamins changed often and the sprain healed rather quickly. With big breeds like this, be critical of your perch height and also make sure they're getting good nutrition. Again, that may not be your problem, but it sure looks like it may be.

Now, I don't know about how your chicken's eye normally looks, but my Russian Orloff has deep set eyes that occasionally get irritated or foamy. She has allergies, I think. Anyway, these are a couple day stints, though-- not weeks. Your gal looks like she has similar eyes. High humidity and heat really drive make it worse for Yuffie. I can only imagine what she would look like if we lived in hotter weather.

Hopefully someone else will come along and give you a second opinion, but my overall analysis is that you may just be experiencing a bit of anxiety about leaving your gals for so long with someone who might not spring to action if things go wrong. But I really don't think, even worst comes to worse, you'll come home to a dead chicken.

EDIT: Oh gah. Your second opinion is Marek's?!? Now that is a difference of opinion. I didn't see any other of your chickens in the video acting weird... Look through the list of symptoms on the other thread and see if any others match.

 

[Titania]

kazzandra, thanks for the input! Honestly, that's what I was **hoping**

someone would say! Because, as I said, no other symptoms. I really was hoping Rosie's limp was just a sprain that would go away and that Miette's eyes are just genetic & exacerbated by the heat and grass. Rosie, the one acting funny, is 9-10 months old. Miette, with the weird eye thing, is 4 months old. I really hope they're out of the picture for Marek's.

I DID have a hen die recently of Marek's but she had tumors everywhere. I just can't believe this could be Marek's. Marek's is usually so fast and aggressive. And it definitely doesn't look like she's lost control of function of the leg yet.

Huh. any other opinions? I'll look more into it.
thanks everyone!

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Quote:
Isn't Marek's contagious? If you did have a hen die recently of it, that really makes me worry that these have the same thing and you're seeing early stages.

Have never experienced it myself so I cannot give better advice, best of luck!

 

[Titania]

yes, you're right about Marek's being really contagious. However, there are a few reasons that make me think this isn't Marek's.
1) There is inherent genetic resistance to Marek's among many birds. If all of your flock comes from the same line that lacks natural resistance, then yes, one single contagious incident of Marek's could decimate your whole flock. My chickens are all different breeds from different breeders.
2.) None of the others showed any symptoms while Gertrude fell ill, after she had shed tons of virus. I did isolate her for the flock's protection, but the exposure had already begun.
3) Gertrude's bout with Marek's was unusual in that it caused tumors along her feather shafts as opposed to her nerves. It was very atypical and I only concluded it was Marek's after alot of online research and advice from experienced people here.
4.) Miette's tissue around the eyeball seems to be **slowly** expanding. No nervous issues, no tumor-like growths.

In the end, I don't really know. It could be anything, I guess. As always, open to suggestions and advice.

And, yes, I did come home to all my chickens alive and well. Rosie's limp is getting better so I'm guessing it was a sprain???(silly chicken likes to roost in my 4' tree). Miette's soft tissue in the eye socket seems to be slowly expanding. It looks more inflamed than before. I've decided that I'm not worried about Rosie but I am concerned about Miette.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I think I would get Rosie some Tetramycin salve, and try that in her eye and see if it helps. As far as the sprain, I have LF and I had to lower all of my roost because one of my Brahama hens jumped down off the roost and hurt her leg. so now the roost are 1&2 ' I also added more shaving to help when they hit the floor. you can get the Tetramycin eye ointment at the feed store.

 

[Titania]

Quote:
Thank you, Miss Lydia! I was wondering where to get the medication for the eye. I always get great advice from you!

 

[Chickenaddict]

I found mine specifically for the eye at the feed store in the horse section, its a very small tube and usually about 8-9$ I am sure you can find it online if you can't find it locally. note it is much more expensive to purchase online....

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=352

 

[Titania]

thanks, I found some at TSC but it was $16.

After 4 days of doing 2x/day, I have seen no change in her eyes, though. I just don't know what it could be.