snotty beaks and goopy eyes

[KP]

I have had chickens for 4 years now and they have never been sick before. I went out of town for a week and left a friend in charge of caring for my animals. When I returned my big, beautiful blue cochin rooster was dead and most of my hens have goopy eyes and snotty beaks. Some of the eyes are sealed shut. Why did this happen and what can I do for them?

I am heart broken for the loss of my rooster. He was big and fluffy and beautiful. He was the focal point of my flock and it just isn't the same without him. I don't know why he died. I wish I wouldn't have gone away. He was 3-1/2 years old.

What should i do for my hens goopy eyes and snotty beaks?

Thank you!

 

[caralouise1974]

Oh I am so sorry about your beautiful roo. What a shame to lose such a magnificent boy.

As for what might be wrong, you need to give a little more info...

are the hens wheezing, are they losing weight, is the eye discharge frothy/bubbly or thick and what colour is it, how about their droppings (colour, consistency, frequency), do they have an odour coming from their beaks, how long have they been ill, are they eating and drinking, any other symptoms?

Could be a respiratory disease like mycoplasma or coryza, but could be other things too.

 

[KP]

It varies a bit by chicken.
Eye goop is clear and slightly frothy in some chickens.
Nose goop is clear to slightly yellow on some chickens.
Poop is watery yellowish-brown.
No coughing or wheezing.
They don't seem to be losing weight.
Some of their color is dull (combs and waddles are faded.)
It has been going on for 2 weeks.

Thanks for your help

 

[caralouise1974]

Hmm, I would say it doesn't sound 100% like classic mycoplasma, with the droppings and the only 'slightly frothy' eyes. Do any of your girls have swollen faces, just underneath their eyes? That could point to coryza or even confirm mycoplasma.

And did you smell their breath? If they smell bad, that is also a feature of both coryza and mycoplasma.

I might be tempted to start a course of Tylan, just in case it is mycoplasma. (If they aren't drinking much, I would suggest the injectable sort, rather than the soluble.) The droppings might be because they aren't eating enough (if they can't see very well) and the bile is affecting the appearance of their droppings.

Frothy eyes are a definite indicator of mycoplasma, so if some of them have that symptom, then you might be onto something...

 

[KP]

Are the eggs safe to eat while they are sick?

If it is mycoplasma and I read that once they have it, they always have it, is it safe to eat the eggs?

 

[caralouise1974]

You can eat the eggs, yes, as mycoplasma is not zoonotic. You would probably want to withdraw from eating the eggs for the course of the Tylan antibiotic treatment though, and for seven days afterwards. So, in actual fact, if you're going to treat your girls, you do not want to eat the eggs until a week after they've recovered. (I would reccommend you do treat them.)

And yes, mycoplasma is present in the bird for life - once they've had it once they can get it again, usually triggered by episodes of stress (bullying, poor weather, travelling, change of environment, etc). One of my girls has had it and we keep Tylan Soluble in store just in case of relapses...