Watery/foamy on left eye

[Leslie_C]

Hi all,
I have just noticed my Barnevelder's left eye is watery has white foam in the corner of the eye. Today is the first I have seen it. I have searched on BYC and it was suggested that foamy eye could be MG or some serious respiratory illnesses which require antibiotic treatment immediately.
Lucy was introduced to the existing flock about 3 weeks ago. Although they all seem to get along very well now, Lucy was pecked on the most when she was first brought home, and there's still some occasional pecking going on when they fight for food. The attached picture seems to show black spots on her comb and wattle on the same side of the affected eye.
Could you please help identify whether the watery/foamy eye was a result of her being pecked on by others and not something serious? Lucy is eating and drinking fine and full of energy. She just laid an egg this morning. Thank you.

 

[dmanhefner]

Comb spot is from pecked

Eye is serious separate from current flock immediately and do not cross contaminate clothing etc from sick chicken too main flock. Could be any of a number of issues but all mandate immediate isolation.

 

[Leslie_C]

Thank you. She has been isolated from the rest. She does not show any signs of sneezing, wheezing or runny rose. I have Terramycin ointment on hand. Is that something that can be applied to her eye to see if that helps or should a visit to the vet is needed at this point?

 

[dmanhefner]

Really I would just keep her isolated on clean dry bedding and warm for a few days and watch her behavior. Pay attention to any unusual smells. I wouldn't give meds without trying the above first. If she takes a sudden turn consider vet for testing. Viral conditions not treatable with meds, many bacterial only recommended If you are keeping a closed flock and following good biosecurity. Read up on CRD to understand many bacterial illnesses in chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can clean her eye with saline and apply the Terramycin Eye Ointment to her eye twice a day. She may well have mycoplasma (MG,) and that can be found in many backyard flocks. If she develops any other symptoms, such as lethargy, or not eating well, I would get some Tylan 50 injectable along with a few 3 ml syringes and 20 gauge needles, and give her 0.25 ml or 1/4 ml per pound 3 times daily for 5 days. You can always contact your state vet to learn how to get testing. She may be a carrier in the future. The other chickens may have been exposed at the same time as she. Here is a good link to read about MG:
http://extension.umd.edu/sites/exte... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

 

[Leslie_C]

Today I noticed Lucy started to have crusty eye on her left eye. I started to apply Terramycin ointment this morning to her eye and will do so twice a day. Hope that helps her. I also went ahead and ordered the Tylan 50 just in case her condition gets worse. She still remains isolated from the rest and appears to be eating and drinking just fine.

 

[Leslie_C]

I am happy to update that Lucy's eye is completely normal after being treated with Terramycin ointment twice a day for 3 days. She's back with the flock and is doing very well.

However, I noticed today my buff Brahma is not herself today. She's usually very active. Today she's sitting by herself a lot and does not seem too interested in food and water. I also noticed she did not poop a lot today. She usually poop large healthy poop. I managed to take a picture of her last poop (attached) and am hoping if you could tell what might be wrong with her. Her crop is very full now. It didn't appear to me to check it in the morning as she appeared fine then. Please help.

 

[Eggcessive]

The green poop may be from not eating a lot. I would try to get her eating more, offer some cooked egg and a small amount of chicken feed made very wet with water. But tomorrow morning first check her crop to see if it is empty, full, hard, doughy, or puffy. If it is full, let us know. Does she have any signs of the eye foam or any problems breathing? Let us know how old she is, and if she has been laying eggs.

 

[Leslie_C]

Hi Eggcessive,

Brownie is close to a year old. She has no signs of foamy eyes neither do the rest of the chickens. Her breathing seems fine as well. She hasn't laid any eggs for 2-3 weeks now. I tried to give her some meal worms earlier and she actually ate them. Her crop now is very full. Is the white runny poop from picture a concern?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry I missed the white runny urates in the bottom of the picture. That is sometimes a sign of dehydration. I would insert a finger an inch into her vent to check for a stuck egg. Cup your hand under her vent to check for any enlargement or tightness compared to the other hens. She should be laying normally during her first season, even in winter. Sometimes the crop will slow in emptying secondary to other illnesses or to a reproductive disorder casuing pressure on organs. But you will want to rule out a crop problem, such as impacted or sour crop. Is she holding her tail up or down? Since she is not herself and separating from the group, that sounds like she has something making her feel bad. Look under her vent for any lice or mites while you are examining her. She may be asleep already, but you can check in the morning.