yellow, runny eye

[feather13]

Please help! This hen was hiding all day and when I went down to check on her I noticed that her eye is clouded over with some yellow fluid that is leaking down into her nose. The other eye looks fine. I've had hens die mysteriously about once per month over the summer, but the last one to die was last week. No one else had any symptoms.

Has anyone ever had this problem? I'm worried that this might be a disease and is contagious, although no other hen had such a wound/problem.

I really appreciate any help you can give me and sorry for the poor quality of the image. I took it with my phone. Thanks in advance

 

[feather13]

I moved her to the garage, which is warm, quiet and clean, because she was really hot and listless. An opossum killed one of the hens last week, so I didn't want to leave her roosting on top of the coop.

Am feeling really guilty. We've taken on six hens from friends who couldn't care for them and that's been the start of these illnesses (two were killed by opossums... could an opossum carry a disease that would affect chickens? I've seen a lot of opossum droppings in the run lately). I have some water soluble antibiotic that I'll add to the water starting tomorrow, but I'm starting to wonder if the new hens brought about the deaths of three chickens and another sick one. I raised the ones who died since they were chicks and I feel like I'm losing beloved pets, one after the other. In the future, I won't let any new chickens into the flock unless they come from the trusted hatchery where I got my first batch.

Sorry to vent... I'm worried about the sick hen and worried that the others will also fall ill.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your hen probably has a respiratory disease (mycoplasma, coryza, or others) that may have been brought in by the newer chickens. These diseases can become chronic, and return in times of stress. They can infect any new birds brought into the flock. An antibiotic such as Tylan 50 given as an injection into the breast muscle for 3 days would be good, or Terramycin (oxytetracycline) in the water. Here is some info on diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[MelissaTXRn]

X2

 

[Michael Apple]

That looks like Coryza to me. Initial symptoms are sneezing, nasal discharge, and as the disease progresses there is cheesy, crusty exudate, and eyes and face become swollen. It is a secondary symptom to CRD. Sulfadimethoxine (I've used the Durvet brand powder) at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for no more than 5 days. I don't care what Poultry Podiatry says. 1/8 tsp per gallon won't do anything.The bird must be drinking and be removed from the other birds. If the symptoms clear up and there's no foul odor, but still respiratory rattles in the throat, runny eyes and nostrils, you must change medications. Tylan 50 is 1/2 cc injection under the skin on the back of the bird's neck every day for 5 days. A bird larger than 5 lbs should get an additional 1/2 cc shot in the breast muscle.

The bird can be cured, but still a carrier. If symptoms are seen in other birds over the next year, a vaccination program is recommended. The only other alternative is to cull the flock.

 

[feather13]

Thank you, Eggcessive, Melissa and Michael! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. The link listing poultry diseases was particularly helpful and I'm going to file it away. I also think she has Coryza. I'm going to keep the sick bird in the garage today. I put Duramycin-10 in her water this morning and also added it to the water of the other hens (is this recommended... to treat all of them? The guy at the feed store told me to do this). The feed store also carries Tylan. With Tylan do I only treat the hens with symptoms?

Wow... it's so discouraging when they get sick like this and quickly die off. Between the opossum and the respiratory diseases, I'm rethinking whether or not I'll keep chickens in the future. I'm definitely not going to add any new chickens ever again since I'm pretty sure this is the source of the problem.

If I do cull them (or not replace them as they die off), how long should I wait until I get a new flock? I keep the run very clean and use food grade diatomaceous earth. I'll also clean out the coop very thoroughly this week with a diluted bleach solution. Any other advice? Thanks for your time.

 

[casportpony]

The pus needs to be removed or she will probably lose the eye. Some peafowl people say that they inject Tylan into the sinus cavity to help clear this up, but I have *never* done that so I cannot recommend it. Also, check the cleft inside her mouth for pus.

-Kathy

 

[feather13]

Thanks... I'll clean her face. Just went down to clean out the coop and noticed that one of the newly added hens (an Australorp) has a bottom that is picked clean of feathers. The three newest hens that were added are wild, so I can't catch her. It doesn't look red or inflamed, but UGH, just another thing! She might be picked on. There were feathers all over the coop where they sleep. More reasons *not* to add birds to a flock.

In retrospect, it makes sense that these birds are Coryza carriers. They are so much smaller than the birds I raised from chicks and rarely ever lay an egg.

Thanks for all your support! I'm going to pick up some Tylan on the way home from work. Do I treat all the birds or just the sick one?

 

[casportpony]

If they were mine I would treat only the ones with symptoms, but I don't know anything about Coryza or CRD, so do your research.

Here is a link that shows how to remove hardened pus from the eye/sinus: http://connerhills.com/sinus_infection_removal.html

-Kathy

 

[kuntrygirl]

If they were mine I would treat only the ones with symptoms, but I don't know anything about Coryza or CRD, so do your research.  Here is a link that shows how to remove hardened pus from the eye/sinus: http://connerhills.com/sinus_infection_removal.html

-Kathy

OMG Kathy! As much as you know I love to see those kinda pics, I almost lost my breakfast with those pics but it is very informative. Thanks for posting.