Rooster has nasty sinus infection - PLEASE help!

[tobilon]

My rooster has had a smelly discharge coming from his eyes and nose for the past few weeks, and now he's lost all the feathers under his wings. At first I googled it and thought it was just a cold or something, but yesterday his one eye swelled shut. I called the vet and told him the symptoms, and he said it is a sinus infection. I feel really guilty for not doing anything now that I know how bad it is.

Today, I bought some kelp meal and electrolyte powder for him; but when I got home, his other eye was swelled shut as well. I put him in a crate inside the house where it's warm and the air is cleaner. When I tried to feed him and give him water, he just pulled his head away because he can't see.

I really don't want to cull him - all of my chickens are like pets to me - but I hate to see him suffering like this. How do you feed and water a blind chicken? Is there any way I can take down the swelling so he can see? Is the infection too bad for me to even help?

Please help.

 

[TeamChaos]

You need antibiotics, it sounds like Coryza to me. In the meantime, wipe *around* the eyes with a warm wet cloth (with a very very very diluted antibacterial soap if you've got it). Be careful not to introduce soap to the already irritated eyes. Make sure you don't cross contaminate w/ your healthy chickens.

 

[tobilon]

The thing is, I haven't had anything to put him in to separate him from the rest of the chickens until today, so he's been with the rest of them since this started. None of the others have shown any symptoms - does that mean it's not coryza because it hasn't spread, or does coryza just take a while to kick in?

Thank you for the reply and suggestions, I'm going to go tend to him now.

 

[TeamChaos]

Don't assume it's not contagious just because no one else has gotten sick yet! Coryza is opportunistic and will strike the birds with the lowest immune system/ most stress first and I'm guessing your roo fits that bill. That's kind of like saying a co-worker or school mate couldn't have had the flu because no one else came down with it, you know? Best of luck!

 

[dawg53]

I agree with TeamChaos that it might be coryza. Smelly discharge, swelling around the eyes...a dead give-away. Coryza is contageous, I recommend that you immediately seperate him from your other birds. Here's a link to diseases in poultry, scroll down to Infectious Coryza and read about symptoms and treatments if you wish. Your other option is to cull.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Yoke]

I had good results with Gallimycin-100 Injectable for 5 days. I think only the Gallimycin power is labeled for chickens. I used the injectable because I wanted to make sure each chicken got the proper dose. I had already tried Sulmet and Durimycin-10 which did not do much for me.

I used LA-200 drops in the eyes LA-200 1:12 dilution with distilled water for a nasal wash also for 5 days.

By the time it all ran it's course, half the flock got sick. If you notice a bird that suddenly seems extra gentle and approachable -- it will start showing symptoms in a day or two.

I vaccinated all birds with CORVAC-3 once they recovered. I did not get any definitive test for Coryza, so I just vaccinated all birds. Maybe it was just a smelly form of CRD. Eventually, I will need to cull my entire flock and probably vaccinate the new birds also.

(BTW: I brought in a new rooster and did not quarantine. My bad and it cost me a lot of $)

 

[Farmerboy16]

It sounds very much like Coryza, and I had it in my flock last year, and had to cull them all. The birds becomes carriers for the rest of their life. They can get better, bet it will never go away, as it can make the birds sick again when the immune level is down.
If you want to, you can save your hen's eggs and incubate them. While the eggs are in the incubator, cull all the birds that you have and disinfect everything, and start over with your flock's offspring. Coryza can live outside the host only for a few days to 2 weeks. Here is more info on it- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...and-foul-smelling-running-nose-update-post-50
I wish you the best.