Swollen eyelids

[Crowing_hen]

About 2 days ago, my Sussex rooster (born in April this year if this is relevant) just happened to have rather swoollen (not super bad) eyelids. The only actual noticeable change from before was that I put some citronella cuttings into the coop, are chickens allergic to it? I’ve noticed that he had scabs around the eye, does that make them swollen? (Cause is likely mites). I don’t have a photo, I’ll post some asap (if I remember).

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It would be best to post some pictures if possible. Do you have mosquitoes out? Scabs could be fowl pox. Have you added any new birds in recent weeks? Have you seen mites on his body? If so, I would treat him with permethrin garden dust (Prozap or other brand from a feed store,) or Permethrin spray or Elector PSP. Coop bedding should then be removed far away, and the coop, nests, and roosts should be treated with Permethrin or Elector PSP. Mites will hatch out in 5-7 days, so a repeat treatment may be needed, but check the body.

 

[Crowing_hen]

 

[Crowing_hen]

Omg yes it’s probably fowl pox. I’ve noticed he’s gotten a bunch of scabs on his crest recently but he’s the alpha rooster. Aah. Does anyone know how to cure?

 

[Kiki]

It does NOT look like fowl pox to me.
More like pecking from another bird.

How many birds do you have?
How many roosters?

Any new birds brought in in the last few months?

 

[Crowing_hen]

He is the only roo in the flock. Very dominant.

 

[Eggcessive]

This could be fowl pox, but also could be pecking wounds. Since you have no other roosters, I will go out on a limb and say fowl pox. He also could be showing signs of a respiratory disease MG, from the foamy and swollen eye. Do any of the hens have similar scabs?
If he were mine, I would clean his eye with a warm damp wash cloth. Then apply either Terramycin eye ointment or plain Neosporin into his eye twice a day. Don’t disturb his scabs, but it is okay to apply Betadine to them with a QTip. For the respiratory disease, get Tylosin, Denagard, or TiaGard to treat that.
https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder
Dosage is 1 tsp per gallon of water for 3-5 days.

https://www.amazon.com/Aurora-TiaGard-Concentrate-Generic-Denagard/dp/B0B4T4Y9B1
Dosage is 2 ml per quart, or 8 ml per gallon of water for 3-5 days. It tastes bad, so some people sweeten the water slightly.

 

[Crowing_hen]

Yes he has many other scabs on his crest/face/eyes/wattle. They have grew from that last picture. Which leads me onto my next topic. His eyes are officially so swollen he has gone temporarily blind. How on earth do I care for a blind rooster? He can’t see his food, or water, or di anything really. He’s a bit dim. If the actual pods doesn’t kill him, the fact he can’t see where to eat or drink might. Does anyone know how to care for a blind roo?

 

[Crowing_hen]

Oh, and yes, there is another hen with a similar amount of scabs, but no swollen eyes.

 

[Eggcessive]

You will have to feed the rooster with the swollen eyes. About 2-3 times a day, prepare a bowl of his usual chicken feed, adding some water to make it wet. Add a little cooked egg and maybe a small bit of tuna or canned cat food. Alternate them to see which he likes, and a spoonful of plain yogurt with live cultures can give him some probiotics. I kept a chicken alive for 5 weeks doing that, and she would not drink so I had to add the water to her feed. You can also learn to tube feed if you would rather do that. It is fairly easy to learn, and it can be done in 5 minutes 2-3 times a day. You can use Exact or KayTee baby bird feed from Walmart or pet stores. Amazon has baby lamb feeding tube sets with 16 French tube. Here are the tubes and a syringe:
https://www.amazon.com/Abustle-pig-...words=lamb+feeding+tube&qid=1730244571&sr=8-7