Silkie chicks with swollen eyes? Mille Fleur hen with similar symptoms

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

I have been raising chickens for 5 years now and I have never seen anything like it: I have started out with 15 white silkie chicks two weeks ago- lost 5-they just kept pasting up, and even after I cleaned them off they died. The 10 I have left looked okay until this wednesday........On Wednesday I noticed one of the chicks seemed to be missing an eye-or so I thought-no swelling, just the eye closed and the blue/black little eyelid showing. I thought how sad, but didn't give ti any more thought because he was getting around okay, eating, drinking, etc. Yesterday night, though, I went to check on the chicks and that chick-along with 4 others- all have their eyes really swollen and closed. No discharge or foam-just swollen and closed. They still get around fine, are active, put up a fight when touched, and eat and drink. The black and buff silkies and cochin chick who live in the same brooder seem fine. No swollen eyes. What is this? They are brooded on pine shavings with a red heat lamp. They eat purina start and grow.
I also won a Mille Fleur hen in a raffle at a poultry show two weeks ago(she looked healthy and was active), and I brought her inside (in a box just a few feet away from the brooder) because she had what looked like a eye infection (no swelling-just closed), a cold (no nasal discharge-just that kind of congested sound occasionally) and was droopy (I thought it was just the weather-she's from tucson and now she's being kept outside in weather cold enough to snow). Within a couple of hours of bringing her in she seems fine.
SO WHAT IS THIS? IS IT A DISEASE? ARE THE MILLE FLEUR AND CHICKS SYMPTOMS OF THE SAME DISEASE?! I have never had a flock with a disease before and I need opinions fast! What can I use to treat these eye problems? I don't have any medications on hand. Should I just flush the eyes with saline and warm water? HELP!!!!!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Cholera? I don't really know, hope someone can help. Good luck.

 

[dlhunicorn]

seems at first glance that what that millefleur had has been passed on to the others. yes rinse and clean...would also disinfect brooders... give POLYVISOL in beak (three drops once a day for one week then ease off the next>wont hurt might help)

 

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

I flushed their eyes with saline and water, and put some terramycin eye ointment in their eyes. I also cleaned the litter and put some terramycin in their water. Where do you get polyvisol? I don't think my feedstore had it. The mille fleur is still living just a few feet away-but she is all well now. I'm thinking maybe the chicks have conjuntivitis.

 

[nccountrygirl]

Polivisol is a baby vitamin, you can get it at any drug store.

 

[k9trainer]

I had this same thing about 3 weeks ago. If untreated they will die, I found out the hard way. But when I started treatment it worked great.
I used the teramycin in all the waterers and gave 1cc injections of Tylan 50 for 4 days. I was injecting grown chickens so if you have smaller birds I would lessen the dosage.