Swollen, watery eye. :(

[smyers32]

Just brought the flock home Sunday and this morning I noticed one of my hens has a swollen weepy eye. She also had a very watery poo. Is this something that a general antibiotic could wipe out easily? What should I do?

 

[smyers32]

I noticed one other hen that hangs with this one also holding one of her eyes closed like it's bothering her(same eye for both girls). The second one doesn't have any swelling or discharge, but they were both separate from the rest and seemed very sleepy while all the others were actively eating/foraging. So I took them both out, put some antibiotic opthalmic ointment in their bothersome eyes, and am keeping them separate from the flock. They both had a little wetness around the nostril on the same side as the problem eye, just clear wet, maybe running down from the eye, or maybe from the pressure of the swelling. Other nostril clean and dry on both birds. I'm thinking I should get some broad spectrum antibiotic and just treat everyone. Anything wrong with a blanket dosing?? Any idea what the problem might be? I read all the disease pages on here and it looks like almost every chicken disease on earth can start with a runny swollen eye....not much help in narrowing down my problem.

 

[lovethejester]

I had a similar issue, sans the runny nose. I took my chicks to the vet and was prescribed Enrofloxacin (Baytril), Mycostatin and Gentamicin eye drops. The vet said the swollen eye is related to sinusitis because their sinuses run around their eye. She didn't seem too worried about it (here I am freaking out because I keep expecting them to die, despite everything we have done for them! They are so thin and lethargic and their eyes really seem to bother them!) Anyhow, I haven't had them on the meds more than 24 hours, so it is hard to tell if they are going to work, but she (the vet) is having me do a blanket treatment of all the birds from the same flock, just to be sure.
If you aren't able to get similar drugs, try the local feed store and either get the sulfa or one of the cyclines that go into their water. 1/2 teaspoon per gallon for sulfas and 1 1/2 teaspoons per gallon for cyclines. Prior to getting in to see the vet a local reputable breeder suggested I start with the sulfa drugs first, as it would kill any parasite causing harm to their little bodies.
Anyhow, good luck! Hope your chicks do well!

 

[smyers32]

Ahhh, thank you sooo much for the reply!! I've been freaking out all day. You've given me a little hope! Everything else I've read is very negative and I was starting to think I'd need to just cull the whole flock and start over. I'm at work till late and will be back in before the stores open in the am, but I plan to get the antibiotics first thing when I get off tomorrow and treat everyone. The ointment I'm using in their eyes is a non-steroid triple antibiotic that i use for conjunctivitis in the horses. I can't wait to get home and check on them tonight. I'm praying they look better and maybe by some fluke they just both got sawdust in their eyes or something. (totally naive hope, i know, but trying to stay optimistic)

 

[lovethejester]

I totally understand. Everything I read scared me. I know my girls still aren't out of the woods yet - they are so weak and lethargic, but I'm really, really hoping the meds help. I tried Vetericyn (the eye gel, not the wound gel) in their eyes that I usually use for the horses, and it didn't seem to do much. I read that Terramycin (spelling?) works pretty well. I know I liked that on my horses when they used to get fly eggs in their eyes. May want to look into that. And get them on the antibiotics. Definitely worth a try.
I'm so annoyed with the crummy little breeder where I got these 7 chicks. 3 of the 7 have shown symptoms, and the two are really ill. He wouldn't even acknowledge it when I called him. Said it must have been something they caught at my place. Oddly enough my original flock is fine, and the 4 babies I brought home from a local, reputable breeder are fine as well. So frustrating. We went out baby shopping because we had lost our favorite hen... Now it has turned into a nightmare. My bedroom and bathroom look like a chicken clinic!
Keep us updated on your hens!

 

[smyers32]

Well crap. The one with the swollen eye now has definite nasal discharge and is making a terrible gurgling sound though oddly, her eye does look a little better. But I'm pretty much convinced she has a respiratory infection, my worst fear. Now what for the rest of the flock??

 

[Micki21965]

I used Tylan and Genta drops and so far so good. I hope that all goes well for you and yours.

 

[lovethejester]

Hey how did your two girls do? Two of my three sickies did eventually develope clear nasal discharge and some sneezing, but the Baytril definitely made a huge difference and sent the Grimm Reaper packing...despite the discharge they are perky and feeling great! Hope your girls are the same!!

 

[krisch0410]

What did the vet say your hens had? Im worried my hens have the same problem and want to read up on it.