Swollen Cheek, Eye Swelled Shut - Looking for suggestions

[Mike Fitz]

Late Saturday I noticed one of our hens had some swelling on one side of her face and her eye was partially swollen closed. On Sunday morning I started all 7 chickens on Duramycin (1 t per gallon, changed every 24 hours). Also on Sunday morning I found a double soft egg under the roost that she had laid, I'm sure it was hers as only 2 hens have started laying and the other had layed one in the nesting box. The hen with the swelling had been laying regularly prior to Sunday but hasn't since I found the double soft egg. This morning her eye is completely swollen shut, no improvement since starting the Duramycin. None of the others are showing any symptoms.

She acts normal other than the swelling and it's only on one side. She's eating and walking around, you wouldn't notice anything wrong except for the obvious swelling. I don't see any discharge, she doesn't seem to be in any respiratory distress, it's just the swelling on one side of the face and it happened pretty rapidly. The swollen area is not soft and "squishy", feeling it it feels hard. It didn't get really cold until after she was showing symptoms and the coop does have some heat so it shouldn't be frostbite.

Any ideas what could be causing this and if I should use another course of action? I do have some Tylan soluble coming today, should I switch medication, or try something else? Here's a couple of pics:





Thanks for any help on this!

 

[realsis]

I'll bump this post in hopes someone has the answers for you. Have you checked to see if see if something is actually in the eye? Also sometimes a sinus infection can manifest like that or respiratory infection. Hopefully someone will have some solid answers.sorry I could not be of more help. I would switch the antibiotic to tylan50 because it is more geared for upper respiratory symptoms. And just might help. Also you could along with the tylan try putting collidial silver drops into the eye it's self. You can get the silver at any heath food store. Get the silver with 500 parts per million of silver in it.i use it for eye issues in my birds.it acts as a antibiotic and antiseptic. It works great in the eyes.i would do the drops three drops twice a day and see if it hhelps.hope this is helpful and wish you the best. In case you don't know. Dose for tylan and a small bird is 1\4 cc large birds 1/2 cc given once daily for five days into the breast muscle.you can purchase tylan and syringes at feed store usually.

 

[hensintheHOUse]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/569432/chicken-with-swollen-eyes-and-nasal-discharge/10


Do you think that ↑ fits into your chicken's symtom?


I would bring her inside, or separate her from the others in the warm place just in case.

I also hope some members who has the experiments or known about it answer to you.

 

[Mike Fitz]

Thank you both for the replies! She's not exhibiting the same symptoms as the thread you posted, there's no discharge from the nostril(s) and no smell whatsoever. It's only affecting the right side of her face which is obviously swollen compared to the left side which looks normal. Until she turns her head so you can see the swollen side you'd never guess she was having problems. I don't have a space to separate her from the others during the winter so started all 7 on the Duramycin in case it was infectious although 4 days in and none of the others are showing any issues.

It would be possible to get the Tylan 50 if absolutely needed but I just bought the soluble powder (wow it's not cheap!) thinking I'd need to treat them all in case it was spread. I was hoping she'd be showing some improvement after a few days on Duramycin but the eyelid is completely pushed over the eye today where it was about 80% the previous couple of days. I can't pry it open to see if there's anything in it by myself, would that cause the whole side of her face to swell? I was thinking it might be some sort of sinus infection with the swelling but I really don't know.

 

[Eggcessive]

Swollen eyes unless they are from a peck wound, are respiratory diseases such as mycoplasma gallisepticum (also called CRD or MG,) or coryza. Coryza will cause a gunky eye with pus, and nasal secretions that stink. Infectious bronchitis, can cause milder symptoms, and it is a virus which won't respond to antibiotics. So if there is no bad odor, you may be treating MG. Duramycin10 will treat it, but on a list of drugs that one is probably the least effective. If it is a bacterial or mycoplasma that she has, the Tylan probably will help, and is better. The Tylan50 for injections is fairly cheap--$12-14, so if she gets sicker you could always pick it up with syringes and needles and treat. If she doesn't respond right away, it may be a virus. Here are some articles on MG and the last one is a list of common diseases, with symptoms, and treatments:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...ction-mg-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens
http://umaine.edu/livestock/poultry/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-faq/
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[hensintheHOUse]

I agree. Tylan would be better as I searched...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-and-snoring-sound-help-updated-with-pics/40

I looked up your chicken's symptom further,, but there were no clue.. but the one that I pasted on the top solved the problem but don't know why..

Your chicken doesn't have snoring sounds, does she? So it may not fit in your chicken either...

I really hope some members give you more info about it..


<I was hoping she'd be showing some improvement after a few days on Duramycin but the eyelid is completely pushed over the eye today where it was about 80% the previous couple of days. I can't pry it open to see if there's anything in it by myself, would that cause the whole side of her face to swell?

I have no clue... but seems like she has some infection, or simply one of your flocks hurt her? If she doesn't have any symptom other than the swollen eye...

 

[Mike Fitz]

Thank you for the links, with no other signs (discharge, smell, sneezing, snoring, etc.) I'm at a loss as to what's wrong. She has stopped laying after finding the double soft egg under the roost so her symptoms are:

Swollen "cheek" causing her eyelid to push up over the eye
No eggs (lack of productivity)

And that's it as far as I can tell. I went out and sat her on my lap and can't hear any labored breathing, no discharge or smell, it doesn't seem to be hurting as I can touch the swollen area without her showing any sign of pain.

 

[Eggcessive]

The Tylan Soluble Powder dosage is 1 teaspoonful per gallon of water for 5 days, and of course, you can mix smaller amounts. Add the powder to the water (not the other way around) and stir very thoroughly. They don't give dosing instructions for chickens on the label. I would only treat your sick chicken or any other showing symptoms because the use of any antibiotic can build up resistance. If you have a way of keeping her in the coop in a cage with her own water, that would be possible, or bring her inside since respiratory diseases can cause chilling.

 

[Eggcessive]

Most respiratory diseases, and especially infectious bronchitis, they can stop laying for a period of time. With IB there can be wrinkled eggs or watery whites for a time. Even though she may not look better to you, treating her with the Duramycin10 may have prevented her from developing a much worse case. Another link for you: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...view_of_infectious_bronchitis_in_poultry.html

 

[Mike Fitz]

Thanks so much for all the responses! I'll switch over to the Tylan this afternoon assuming the UPS driver doesn't get stuck in the snow and delivers it. Since I've already started all of them on Duramycin and am not sure if what she has hasn't been spread would it be better in this case to just keep her with the rest and treat them all? The only place I could put her away from the others would be in the brooder but it's being used by a little bantam hen that's having some different issues.