Pox? Something Respiratory?

[BoomChickieBoom]

Hi folks! I am a brand new hen keeper-we just got four ladies on Monday. On Wednesday morning, I noticed that one of the Americaunas had bubbles in her eyes and was raw and sore around her eyes.She had a little bit of snot which I cleaned out and there hasn't been anymore. I called the lady we got her from and she said it was probably a cold from a rain that we had this past weekend. Then I went to our local feed store and showed a picture to the lady that works there and she said she thought it was pox. She suggested Duramycin. I've been giving it to all four chickies since Wednesday evening and the one girl doesn't look much better (this morning when I cleaned her up, there were no bubbles but instead a bit of slime! I wiped it out and there hasn't been anymore) and I think the other Americauna might be getting it...both are scratching at their eyes.

Neither are weezing, coughing, or sneezing and the two silkies we got both look fine. Everyone is eating well and running around all over the yard, catching bugs shaking their tail feathers. I don't think much they are drinking much of their Duramycin spiked water, though.

So, a few questions: does this seem like pox to you? If so, is Durmycin the right thing for them to have (I have just read on this forum that there is no medication neccesarry for pox)? If Durmycin is what they need, how the heck can I get them to drink it? I tried mixing some OJ in, but they are not interested.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

 

[Erica]

Hi BoomChickieBoom,

They might have pox, but I find it usually shows up as warty crusts on the comb. You can get a thing called 'wet pox', which is the same virus and can affect the respiratory tract, but I would think it's a little more likely to be one of the other common respiratory illnesses. In any case, pox isn't helped by antibiotics (though it may stop opportunistic infections from bacteria).

If I were you I'd look up Mycoplasma Gallisepticum and also Coryza, which can both present with bubbly eyes and nasal drip. It might be worth having it properly diagnosed, as it's hard to know if antibiotics are going to help unless you know whether it's bacterial or viral. By the way, MG is very likely to show up after a stressor like being moved to a new home.

Good luck,
Erica

EDIT
Forgot to add, I'm no expert on all this...

 

[foxypoproxy]

i had a similar issue.
You should either post pictures of them or look at my thread on pox: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=584720

 

[BoomChickieBoom]

Thanks guys. I wanted to post photos, but I guess since I'm new to the forum I'm not allowed.

Erica-they are little so they don't have combs yet. Is it true that to have her diagnosed, we would have to kill her?

Foxy- I checked out your post...her eye looked quite similar to your girls eye, but with out the warty mark. Is there such a thing as a chicken having pox, but with out actually having the pox mark?

It seems so weird that a chicken 'expert' would diagnose her with pox and then have me treat with antibiotics if they are not effective for pox. Maybe she was just thinking it would help rule out anything else?

Anyway, I compared photos from Wednesday and she does actually look a bit better today. But now I'm concerned...in reading some posts on this forum, I worried that they are all now carriers of some horrible disease. Do I need to be concerned about their eggs when they start laying in a few months or will they be safe to eat?