Possible Mareks?

[jll536]

Please Help! I gave some buff orpington roosters to a farmer that was looking for some and he called me 6 weeks ago when he had his first round of buff babies hatch from my boys. I have two of the babies that are 6 weeks and two days old. They both have light almost grey eyes. however I noticed one of them has one eye where the pupil is larger and not as reactive to light as the other. They have been separate from my flock with the exception of one time that I took them outside briefly as an introduction about a week ago where they all looked at the babies and one of my hens pecked one of them and that was it, they were right back in the brooder in the bathroom. given the color of the eye and the one off pupil I was wondering if this could possibly be mareks and if so what do I do? They are both acting like perfectly normal 6 week old babies. Is it possible the eye color is just a genetic mutation and they are perfectly fine? If it is Mareks could that super brief encounter have spread it to my entire flock? I am somewhat new to having chickens. Picture is of the same chick just different eyes.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would keep an eye on the left eye. It depends on how much light in one the eye as to how large the pupil is. Ocular Mareks is one type of symptom that does not affect all chickens with Mareks. The eye can become faded and greyish with the pupil appearing smaller and irregular. It does‘t happen overnight, but gradually.

 

[jll536]

Ok. the pupil is noticeably larger even in normal light than the other. However the baby is acting in totally normal. While the pupil on one side is larger and unreactive to light....(It doesn't constrict in the light like the other does) it is not oddly shaped. The other baby also has the light greyish eyes but both pupils look normal. How long would I watch them to see if this gets worse? Right now they are both living in my bathroom but I was hoping to integrate into the flock in the next few weeks, but obviously wouldn't want to do that if they are sick.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Did you get them recently or when they were day old chicks? If you have had them a while, were their eyes always grey? I don't know about Orpington eye color, but my Olive egger hatched with grey eyes and now at 11 weeks old has orange eyes. Hoping this is the case with your babies
Can you tell if your chick can see out of the odd eye? Perhaps he is blind in that one.
I would keep them separate for a while longer just in case though. Not sure how long.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see any cloudiness in the eye with the large pupil? Chickens can get cloudy cataracts in their eyes like all animals and humans, and decreased vision.

 

[jll536]

Did you get them recently or when they were day old chicks? If you have had them a while, were their eyes always grey? I don't know about Orpington eye color, but my Olive egger hatched with grey eyes and now at 11 weeks old has orange eyes. Hoping this is the case with your babies

Can you tell if your chick can see out of the odd eye? Perhaps he is blind in that one.
I would keep them separate for a while longer just in case though. Not sure how lo

Did you get them recently or when they were day old chicks? If you have had them a while, were their eyes always grey? I don't know about Orpington eye color, but my Olive egger hatched with grey eyes and now at 11 weeks old has orange eyes. Hoping this is the case with your babies
Can you tell if your chick can see out of the odd eye? Perhaps he is blind in that one.
I would keep them separate for a while longer just in case though. Not sure how long.

View attachment 2882936View attachment 2882938

I got them when they were three days old. Their eyes have both always been light. I think that it can see out of the eye with the large pupil but I will double check. Ok I will plan on waiting longer just to see if eye color changes and behavior changes too. Thanks so much for trying to help me and OH MY your chicken is beautiful.

 

[jll536]

Do you see any cloudiness in the eye with the large pupil? Chickens can get cloudy cataracts in their eyes like all animals and humans, and decreased vision.

No cloudiness in the pupil on either eye with either chick.