Pullet with Foamy Eyes

[dawg53]

Well there you go, not MG. I'm glad you got to see the vet and got the correct meds to treat the disease. Thanks for the update and good luck.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Hi MickWithChicks,
This is a lung infection right? So can be cured?
If so, that is great news!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Psittacosis is rare in chickens apparently according to the article below, but more common in pigeons and parrots. Did the vet do any swabs or testing? Anyway, the doxycycline also treats MG as well as chlamydia, the bateria in psittacosis. Please let us know how she continues ro get along. Here is some reading:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/29/chlamydiosis-psittacosis-ornithosis/

Here is another article:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/avian-chlamydiosis/overview-of-avian-chlamydiosis

 

[MickWithChicks]

Hi MickWithChicks,
This is a lung infection right? So can be cured?
If so, that is great news!!

Apparently it's completely curable if you keep them on the doxycycline for 30 days. I'll do the suggested 10 day treatment on the entire flock, and see if I can keep the pullet with the showing symptoms on it for the full 30 days.

Psittacosis is rare in chickens apparently according to the article below, but more common in pigeons and parrots. Did the vet do any swabs or testing? Anyway, the doxycycline also treats MG as well as chlamydia, the bateria in psittacosis. Please let us know how she continues ro get along. Here is some reading:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/29/chlamydiosis-psittacosis-ornithosis/

Here is another article:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/avian-chlamydiosis/overview-of-avian-chlamydiosis

Indeed it is rare in chickens and more common in pigeons and parrots - hence the name "Parrot Fever" I suppose! We do have 3 types of wild pigeons that hang around here: the Crested Pigeon; the Wonga Pigeon; and the Common Bronzewing. The Crested and the Bronzewings get into the coops and run all the time. The Wonga's hang out on the grass outside of the coops and run. Additionally, we have a colony of 5 Australian Brush Turkeys who are nesting somewhere in the area who visit every day (I haven't been able to find where they're nesting yet, but the male often charges my turkeys).

The vet did a swab test, and I brought a fresh stool sample for a fecal float test. It was identified as psittacosis/chlamydiosis. I'm hoping that the spread between chickens is unlikely due to their natural immunities to the disease, but want to take precautions anyway.

Her eyes have already cleared up after being on the treatment for a day, and she's eating and drinking well. As I haven't started treating the rest of the flock yet (will begin today), I won't reintroduce her until they've had a day or two on the doxycycline.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is good news, and thanks for explaining the vet test. I wish more vets here would take the time to do gram stain or testing.

 

[MickWithChicks]

That is good news, and thanks for explaining the vet test. I wish more vets here would take the time to do gram stain or testing.

It didn't take long to do the tests either. This particular vet is a good friend of mine (hence reaching out the night before and diagnosing over the phone). He was more than happy to run the test incase it was a potential flock-wide issue. He didn't charge for the consult or the antibiotics.

I've been to another vet in the area while my vet friend was overseas travelling, and they also performed the fecal float tests. The hen was just egg-bound but had Marek's-like symptoms. The costs of the consult were about $70, but the antibiotics she was put on (to reduce chances of infection) were quite expensive.

Both vets had to be prompted do the tests.

 

[MickWithChicks]

An update:

She came good within 2 days of starting the antibiotic and went back in with the flock. I figured if the flock hadn't contracted the virus prior while she had foamy eyes, they were unlikely to contract the infection with no flare up.

I kept her on the antibiotics until I ran out over the weekend just past. I had been separating her exclusively of a morning and feeding her a mix of pullet-grower, water, and the antibiotics so no other flock members were exposed to the AB, potentially rendering it less useful. This also ensured she was getting the full daily dose.

As I needed to get some more antibiotics from the vet (we can't purchase antibiotics over the counter in Australia), I brought a fresh stool sample in for a test this morning. She was given the all clear and is free of the infection. Great outcome.

Edit: changed "virus" to "infection", as the illness was bacterial, not viral.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is great news of her recovery from the bacterial illness, psittacosis and that the others have not gotten sick. Thanks for the update.