Swollen eyes and head in hen

[lemuckley_flock]

I noticed yesterday that one of my hens looked sort of puffy around her eyes. Today she's much worse - very swollen around the eyes and comb, and her comb is fairly pale. I thought her eye was swollen closed but it was stuck shut. Her feet also seem swollen. I've separated her and she's alert but doesn't seem to be seeing well. Not noticing any respiratory symptoms (she's in my laundry room and I haven't heard anything while I've been in here). Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she new or have you recently add=ed another chicken? It looks like she could have mycoplasma (MG or CRD, ) or coryza. Those diseases are contagious, and can make carriers of the whole flock. Some choose to cull chickens with a respiratory disease so that it doesn't spread, but if you close your flock, symptoms may be reduced by using Tylan 50 injectable oxytetracycline, or Gallimycin antibiotics. Here is a link about common respiratory diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[lemuckley_flock]

She's not new, I hatched her about a year ago. The only new chickens I have are from my two most recent hatches - I haven't purchased any chickens for over three years. No one around us has chickens, and no one has come in the back where they are that would have had chicken contact for a really long time....probably last summer or fall. I haven't been around any other flocks either.

No one else is showing symptoms, I looked them all over really well last night. I have a pretty good sized flock, and wonder if I'd do better to cull her than chance everyone else getting sick? She's separate right now....would everyone else be infected already anyway? Ugh.

 

[lemuckley_flock]

She doesn't have most of the symptoms of either of the diseases you mentioned....no discharge from her eyes or beak, no foul smell, no respiratory symptoms at all, no diarrhea. One of the recommended treatments for coryza is Di-methox....we just did a 21 day preventative on the goats, and the chickens get treated by default....she swelled after that 21 day run.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would cull her if she were in my flock. Wild birds getting around feeders and waterers (which is almost impossible to prevent) can bring in disease.