Update: Swollen eye/side of face, but seems otherwise healthy?

[Chotii]

5 days ago, I found one of my hens with her right eye shut and the nictating membrane covering most of the eye. I figured she had gotten pecked in the eye, and I could see a brownish thing (which I thought might be old blood) at the edge of the nictating membrane. I left her alone, as she seemed perky & otherwise normal.

4 days ago, same.

3 days ago, there was bleeding from the eye. I made a very mild boric acid solution & washed the eye & dripped some of the solution into the eye. But after being washed, the eye was slightly open. She laid an egg that day.

Yesterday, the eye began to look more swollen around the orbit. It was glued shut when I got up; I washed it with boric acid solution twice. She laid an egg yesterday.

Today it looked even worse, so I got Terramycin opthalmic ointment from the feed store, on their recommendation.

By tonight, the whole side of her face looks swollen and I think there may be other swelling (inside mouth? throat?) because she acts like she has something in her mouth she can't get out. But, she is eating & drinking, laid an egg today, went out and scratched around the yard for a while & generally acted like a happy chicken, talking quietly to herself and so on.

If this is an infection (and it looks like it) by this point, how long before I should expect to see results with the Terramycin? If that doesn't work within a couple of days, do I go to a systemic (water-based or injectable) antibiotic?

I just lost another hen to (what I think was) egg yolk peritonitis and I'm discouraged. Having 2 out of 3 chickens sick or injured from unpreventable incidents in the course of a month is heartbreaking.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

I am going the the exact same thing with a young cockerel. He is fine all except for the swollen eye. I have been treating him with terramysin for over a week with no results. I was just searching for another answer when I saw your post. I have also been putting antibotics in his water to no avail. I will be watching to see if anyone has any better suggestions. I am going to try some penecillin injectable tomorrow as I have worked so hard to get this little guy healthy I would hate to lose him now. Micki

 

[thunderwagn]

My oeg rooster is having an eye issue as well. Poor dude is still acting ok for the most part, but the eye is swollen and he scratches at it. I have been putting a warm wet towel on it some to see if it helps. I dont know what it is. I almost think he got shavings in his eye. I dont know if there are drops or ointment you can use or not...

 

[Chotii]

Hen is having problems swallowing. I gave her a slice of bread tonight and she dropped as many pieces as she ate, though she kept gamely trying to eat them, and about half the time she'd get them down.

This is a loss of coordination since yesterday.

 

[dlhunicorn]

check inside the beak for signs of any chessy or white placques.
Give Polyvisol enfamil immediately (four drops in beak once a day) as vit A deficiency is almost always involved (even when deficiency is not the primary illness)
It may be trichomoniasis (called "kanker" with pigeons) > this is a ptozoan parasite (it is hard to distinguish between vitA deficiency and trich as both produce placques and eye symptoms)
see here for info and treatment measures:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/201400.htm

These symptoms also occur with wetpox > see here for info on that:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/204801.htm

 

[Chotii]

Her eye looks much better today, or at least, the whole side of her face is not swollen to the point of deformity anymore, although she cannot open the eye at all. She eats crumble voraciously when it is put in front of her, but she can't "aim" at it properly, rather scooping it up and choking it down.

She was out and scratching today, but retired to the nest before long. I have to take her out of the nest and put her in front of food (which she eats) or out into the grass (where she scratched and pecked, and ate some cracked corn). Mostly though she stayed in the nest, conserving her energy I guess. She isn't too miserable to 'talk' to me quietly while I pet her and give her bits of bread.

I have been giving her the no-iron vitamins.

I'm still not sure she'll make it. I'm still hoping for her.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I had ONE bird that had a swollen eye for about 2 to 3 weeks. I tried vet RX and some eye ointment.

I found her dead this morning in the "silkie pile". None of the other birds seem to be suffering her fate.

I do not know if it was Fowl Pox or not. I did have ONE hen exhibit a very weird outbreak on her face.

She stayed away from the barn and roosted outside mostly.

In a few days she seems much better and came to roost in the barn, but still away from the others.

She seems perfectly healthy now, clucking and raising a stink when i let the flock out. She always complained in the morning.

Her is a pic of her at her worst: