Common eye diseases in chickens

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Diseases of the eyes in chickens are quite common and occurs most often with improper care or maintenance. Swelling of the chicken's eyes as in the photo, spontaneous closure or purulent discharge should be serious signals for the breeder. Since among these birds eye diseases are transmitted quite easily and almost without hindrance, the symptoms of a disease of one chicken can automatically mean an epidemic for the entire chicken coop - therefore, only upon seeing such signs, it is necessary to diagnose and treat.

Diseases of the eyes in chickens

If a bird closes one eye, then this should also serve as an immediate reason for contacting a veterinarian, since it is easiest to cure any disease at an early stage. The veterinarian will tell you how to treat chickens in this situation, based on the condition of the bird, the neglect of the disease. In more detail, any types of eye diseases in chickens can be viewed in a photo or video.

Types of eye diseases in chickens

• Conjunctivitis
• Xerophthalmia
• Infections
• Keratoconjunctivitis
• Various tumors
• Eye injuries
• Marek's disease
• Ammonia blindness

Conjunctivitis in poultry

The most common and well-known disease for breeders, most commonly seen in chickens, is conjunctivitis. Since photos of chickens with this disease can be found on almost every box of eye drops, everyone also knows what it usually looks like. If the breeder does not pay attention to injuries or bruises, conjunctivitis in a bird can develop as a result of them - and also among the causes of the disease are usually:

• Lack of adequate ventilation in the chicken coop.
• Lack of vitamin A in poultry nutrition.
• High humidity.

Whatever the cause of the disease, its symptoms are always the same. The chicken lifts the eyelids with great difficulty, her eyes begin to swell, and purulent discharge appears. In addition to these signs, there is general fatigue, lack of any appetite and deterioration of vision itself, as a result. If you do not treat this disease, then it will lead to complete blindness of the bird - the chicken's eyes will atrophy.

To prevent the spread of the disease, sick chickens need to be transplanted into another cage. In veterinary pharmacies in a huge assortment there are drugs aimed at getting rid of this disease, but before buying them, you should definitely consult with experienced specialists. The doctor will prescribe the necessary medications and a treatment plan, depending on the condition of the chicken and the course of its disease.

If you find a swelling in the chicken's eye or signs of conjunctivitis at the initial stage of the disease, then it may be enough just to make a tea compress for the chicken's eyes. To do this, you need to moisten a small piece of cotton wool in well-brewed tea and apply it to the affected eye. Instead of tea, you can use chamomile infusion.

How to treat puffy eyes in chickens? In parallel with compresses for treating birds, you need to provide them with vitamin A. The easiest way to do this is to simply buy it in the form of drops and add it to your drink. Usually the vitamin is added at the rate of 0.5 ml per 100 ml of water. In addition to vitamin A itself, chicken nutrition can be supplied with other vitamins for an overall improvement in well-being. This will have a positive effect on the health of the birds and increase their immunity. To prevent the disease, it is worth providing acceptable living conditions - high-quality food, no drafts, or vice versa, lack of air in the room. If medications and proper care do not help, you need to consult a specialist.

Xerophthalmia in chickens

If the bird's eyes are swollen, but there is no purulent discharge, they are affected by a disease such as xerophthalmia. In addition to puffiness of the eyes, dryness of the cornea and disturbances in the functioning of the lacrimal glands appear. Since this disease is accompanied by quite different manifestations, any veterinarian can easily determine its presence even from a photo of a sick chicken. The only cause of this disease is a lack of vitamin A.

During the treatment of this disease, there is no need to take any medication - you just need to improve your nutrition. In some cases, a chicken's eye swelling can occur when the bird has received physical bruises. This really happens and with eye injuries, they can swell. To prevent this from happening to the chick, you should follow the safety precautions on the farm and remove all sharp objects and dry straw from the floor that the birds may stumble upon.

Eye infections in birds

Veterinarians strongly recommend that you do not purchase medicines yourself. All drugs should be prescribed only by a specialist. If the birds show symptoms of any infections, show the chicken to a specialist. Eye infections are one of the most common causes of swollen eyes in chickens. In the case of infections in birds, there is swelling of the eyes, increased tearing, purulent discharge. Depending on what kind of infection the bird is affected by what kind of eye diseases in chickens, the treatment and medications used vary.

The most common infections when chickens close their eyes are: laryngotracheitis, salmonellosis and mycoplasmosis... If the chicken has edema, one eye is closed, or the bird scratches the area around the eyes, then these are possible signs of various viral infections. From the behavior of the bird, one can also draw a conclusion about unhealthy behavior. If the eyes of chickens swell up, the bird sits ruffled, inactive and refuses to eat, then this is a reason for further observation. Look into the pupils, if they are cloudy, swollen or swollen, then the problem is most likely in eye infections.

Laryngotracheitis

This disease is distinguished by its acute course - the symptoms appear immediately and almost in full force, causing inflammation not only of the eyes themselves, but also of all mucous membranes. If it is not treated, then conjunctivitis develops, and a fatal outcome is also possible for a large number of chickens. That is why, at the first detection of the symptoms of this infection, the infected bird must be urgently isolated from the rest of the chicken coop, in order to avoid spread. This disease is treated with thromexin. The obligatory course of treatment is 5 days. If that doesn't work, the infected chicken will have to be chopped up.

Salmonellosis

The main danger of this infection is that salmonellosis is transmitted from birds to humans, and even chickens can get sick with this disease. When working with a sick chicken, it is necessary to observe safety and disinfect all clothing and gloves. Salmonellosis is characterized by symptoms quite similar to conjunctivitis - swelling of the eyes, decreased appetite, also among the symptoms - lameness and characteristic wheezing in a bird. Salmonellosis is treated strictly with antibiotics prescribed by a veterinarian.Individuals who have recovered from salmonellosis remain carriers of the virus for at least 4 months.

Mycoplasmosis

This infection is a consequence of a running cold when the bird's eye is swollen. If you do not pay attention to the fact that the chickens caught a cold in time, this will turn into mycoplasmosis, which can be seen in the photo on the Internet. During this infection, it is difficult for the bird to breathe, it develops swelling of the mucous membranes, a runny nose, and swelling of the eyes. It can be found in both adult chickens and chickens. Mycoplasmosis is treated with a course antibiotics, but it is worth starting just such a treatment only when you are sure that you are faced with this particular infection. The difficulty is precisely that it has no symptoms of its own. It is difficult to recognize, since a runny nose and swelling can be symptoms of other diseases. If treatment does not lead to recovery, sick chickens should be hacked to death.

Keratoconjunctivitis

The peculiarity of this disease is in its cause - it appears due to inhaled toxic fumes (for example, a pair of any chemical agents). The disease is not spread among birds. It takes place in several stages: in chickens, the cornea becomes cloudy, after which an eyesore and a discharge that resembles foam in consistency appears. Appetite decreases, general lethargy and fatigue appear. It is very important that the specific type of this disease - whether or not keratoconjunctivitis is purulent - is determined by the veterinarian, especially if both eyes of the chicken fester.

In addition to a prescribed course of antibiotics, corticosteroids are used to treat this disease. At the same time, the eyes are washed with antiseptic agents. Prevention of this disease consists in proper ventilation of the room, attention to living conditions, isolation of birds from rooms in which disinfection is in progress.

Various tumors

The reasons for the appearance of eye tumors in chickens have not yet been precisely understood. For the most part, they look more like a bump than swelling. Their appearance is accompanied by inflammation, then they swell. If you see that the bird's eyes are reddened and swollen, but there are no other symptoms in the sick individual, the infection can be immediately excluded from the list of possible diseases. The same can be said about inflammatory processes, accompanied by tearing and purulent discharge.

If the eyes are inflamed in chicks or adult broilers, treatment will be slightly different. Small individuals are still too weak to fight disease. Unfortunately, at the moment there are no drugs that would help get rid of the tumor. If the bird eats well, then the emphasis in treatment should be on the composition of its diet. Add more of her favorite treats and fortified supplements to it. Treatment consists only in surgical removal of the tumor, which must be trusted by qualified, proven specialists.

Eye injuries

Such injuries are dangerous because if the eye is not treated and it festers, it can lead to infection of the whole body. Basically, various injuries, birds get from each other, while walking, or even after jumping from their perches. Often such injuries can be observed in the rooster, as they are more fighting and more often than others enter into fights. Of course, it is difficult to seriously injure the area around the eyes, but an infection can get through the wound and this will cause various diseases. After an injury or an open wound, the eyes become inflamed and in this case it is necessary to remove the swelling and inflammation.

The most important thing is to notice the injury in time, then serious problems can be avoided. Its main symptom is possible bruising, abrasions. It is accompanied by dysfunction of the lacrimal glands, reddening of the eyelids and loss of the third century. The first thing to do when you notice an injury is to rinse the wound. Rinsing is carried out using eye drops, chlorhexidine or boric acid solution.After rinsing, the affected bird's eyes should be carefully examined. If you see any foreign objects in your eyes, be sure to take them out. Naturally, this procedure is extremely undesirable to carry out on your own - it should be entrusted to a veterinarian who, under anesthesia, will get foreign objects from the eyes, but this is easier than if the chickens have seriously sick eyes associated with an infection.

Marek's disease

In broilers, this disease is not uncommon. Marek's disease is a viral disease that can spread throughout a herd. If at least one individual has fallen ill with such a disease, then it must be placed in a separate room until complete recovery, otherwise such individuals are considered carriers of the virus. In broilers, symptoms appear as follows:

• Birds lose their sight
• Chickens are sluggish
• Head does not hold well
• The pupil is decently constricted
• The nervous system is affected

If such a disease is not treated, then the large Marek virus can completely deprive the chicken of sight, this can be seen in the photo. Sick individuals have not yet been invented a treatment, despite the constant progress in medicine. Such a disease can only be prevented by prevention. It is necessary to vaccinate chickens on the second day after birth. If the vaccine is not given at this time, then it no longer works on adult birds.

Ammonia blindness

This disease mainly occurs in chickens at the age of 1-1.5 months from the moment of birth. Ammonia blindness occurs due to excess ammonia vapor in the air. Such pairs are formed due to unsanitary conditions in the poultry house, lack of a normal ventilation system, as well as due to the constant presence of individuals near the droppings. The first symptoms of ammonia blindness can be confused with other similar diseases.

First of all, the chicken's eyes become swollen and watery, and discharge from the nose or eyes may be noticeable. Ammonia blindness is dangerous and insidious in that it gives complications not only to the vision itself, but also to the development of the individual as a whole. When the disease affects small chickens, not all individuals are fully cured. Sick young animals eat and drink poorly, do not gain the prescribed weight, may be lethargic and apathetic.

To cure the livestock from such a disease, you should change the diet and add more foods that contain vitamin A to it, you also need to do a general cleaning of the room and much more. Disinfection should be carried out using disinfectants for walls, floors, perches, feeders and other contaminated areas. If the birds get dirty in their own feces, then you need to wash them off with warm water and a napkin.

Which individuals are more likely than others to be susceptible to eye diseases?

It is worth carefully examining and examining those chickens that are inactive most of the time, their heads are tilted or sit with their eyes closed. If you see a foul-smelling whitish fluid in the chicken's eyes or nasal discharge, it is most likely an inflammation or infection. The eyes need to be flushed and carefully examined to recognize the underlying cause of the inflammation. If nothing flows from the bird's eyes, but in order to open and close them, it needs efforts, it is worthwhile to urgently invite a veterinarian.

Eye diseases occur in a wide variety of chickens, regardless of breed - both in regular hens and chickens, and in broilers. In many ways, it all depends on the conditions of detention. It is necessary to carefully monitor the chickens, their behavior and treats the conditions of detention responsibly, especially if they are chickens - they still have weak immunity and therefore they get sick more often. Also, a reason for concern may be the fact that the bird does not eat or drink, is standing heavily, it is running from the nose, all these signs can be an eye infection at various stages of the disease.

It should be borne in mind that both eyes of a bird are not affected at the same time - and therefore, as soon as you notice any symptoms of the disease in at least one eye, you should not wait until they are reflected in the other.

The chicken should be examined immediately and taken to a doctor. Some veterinarians can understand a bird's disease from a clear photograph, but it will be much more reliable if you bring the bird itself. Do not actively self-medicate - this rarely leads to results. Your veterinarian will tell you exactly which treatment plan to follow, what to do and what not to do.

Recommendations

Eye diseases are very often found in chickens, which lack vitamin A in their diet. You need to take care of the diet of the birds, the conditions of their keeping, be attentive to the health of each of them - so that in an emergency the entire hen house does not suffer. Feed must be of high quality and not expired. Make sure that the food is stored correctly and not damp. Moldy and wet food can harbor bacteria or even any parasite that, together with consumption, will introduce an infection into the bird's body. Keep food away from the house to prevent rodents from smelling the food and coming in crowds.

A lot of infections are delivered to animals and birds by rodents. In no case should sick chickens be given such food, otherwise the already weak immunity will pick up an infection in the bird's body. Breeders are not always able to accurately determine the disease on their own, and therefore, in this matter, you should always entrust the matter to an experienced veterinarian. He will tell you whether it is worth isolating the sick individual from everyone else, how to treat it and prevent such diseases in the future. If chickens die and go blind in the livestock, then it can be a whole epidemic and you need to quarantine the farm.