Hi there im semi new to chicken keeping about year in next month in june and recently my rooster as suffered some kinda eye injury on may the5th and im not entirely sure what has caused it he seems to be keeping it closed on purpose there is no discharge or mucus or anything around the eyes or nostrils of the bird and his eye doesn't appear to be swollen at all. hes eating n drinking normal hasn't stopped doing so since i brought him inside, crows normally doesn't sound like anything is wrong with his respiratory system for example there is no gargling sounds or anything at all. and ive had him inside now for around 11 days now as of today. may 16th his feathers are super shiny as they should be, he has no drooping tail or wings either, his stools are normal, there is no limping. no droopy comb either, there is no weight loss in 11 days and from my own research from this forum and other places/topics related to chickens around the web i ruled out he has none of the chicken common symptoms of illness for common chicken diseases , according to a list form this forum which i will list below, but tonight i noticed slight color changes in his comb it appears to be slightly duller red now then previous week on may 5th i have pictures for all of this which i will also include below with dates, and ik some comb color changing is normal but im not entirely sure anymore whats going on with him, he only lives with one other rooster of same breed a Rhode island red. so maybe some how he hit his eye or the other rooster as struck his eye in a scuffle and possible blinded him but both of them have agree since i got them with no issues., but i compared both roosters tonight both feathers plumage combs wattles coloring etc etc. everything appears the same on both birds besides there combs. my other one who isn't sick has almost see threw red cherry bright comb. the sick one in question has much darker red one. and again im not sure if this is natural change and im overreacting as a first time chicken keeper/owner but im a huge animal lover and this bird means hella alot to me and my heart would break in two if anything happened to him ive always been massive animal lover since a small boy these birds have help with alot of depressing curing with me and i appreciate as much help as humanly possible you guys are willing to give and ill provide as much feed back as i can PHOTOS WITH DATE STAMPS AND MORE INFO BELOW
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THE MOST COMMON SIGNS OF ILLNESS IN CHICKENS INCLUDE:
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Not eating well: going off feed is a tell-tale sign of illness in animals
Bubbly or watery eyes or nose
Rasping when breathing
Sneezing or coughing
Swelling around the eyes
A strange odor to the bird(s)
Swelling of the comb and/or wattles
Unusual lesions (sores) on the comb and/or wattles
Limping or inability to stand
Diarrhea or stools that look or smell different
Parasites visible in stools
Feathers that look bedraggled, broken
Bald spots with an unusual loss pattern
Bloody stools
Visible wounds and sores
Enlarged crop
Hunched appearance when it isn’t cold
Standing by itself
Straining to pass an egg
Holding the wings in an odd position
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He has none of these symptoms or showing these since hes been inside with me. also heres my check list if my paragraph was hard to read
CHECK LIST
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
breed: Rhode Island red
Unknown age but my guess is he is maybe 1-2 years old?
He doesn't appear to have any weight loss to me but these are also the first adult birds I have had.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Standing in one spot sometimes but he has the eye injury which could be the factor there
hes eating and drinking plenty as normal rooster should
Crop feels and looks fine, he doesn't turn down food or water when offered
tonight after 11 days aka tonight i noticed the dulling in the combs color. all week/everyday hes been crowing fine and happily.
but tonight hes sitting around/standing around trying to sleep what it seems like to me
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Tonight is the first day i noticed the comb coloring and he has not wanted too move much but he will move around a bit if he needs two. But he’s standing and not sitting but only sometimes as of typing this right now hes lying down and sleeping normally it seems im very puzzled.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
no others. just him
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No sign at all. besides minor dried tiny tiny blood spot on his comb from scuffle like 3 weeks ago.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
from what i know of and gather he some how injured his eye some how and he wont open it hes keeping it closed on purpose because ive seen him opening it up n closing it a few times he was fine few days b4 this eye issue. and besides the changing/dulling semi dark red of his comb nothing else seems wrong from list of symptoms but im still confused on what is wrong with his eye and is he sick from something else i dont know of maybe?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
he hasn't stopped eating or drinking since i brought inside to his nursery bed. no changes there
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
its green with powdered iconic chicken white cap and its hard. no blood no watery mess no outta ordinary from what i can tell stools
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing. so far as im not entirely sure whats wrong and i cant find a good solid answer
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Treat him myself if possible
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
i will post several with dates on them
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Housing is a well ventilated coupe with 4 inches of shavings/pine bedding
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PHOTOS LABELED MAY 5th is when i noticed the eye issue and brought him inside took care of him and took photos so im also using it as comparison for his recent comb color change today i noticed which is may 11th. ONES LABELED MAY 16th are today's ones and will be used for changes in comb color and other possible changes i might've missed hes the bigger one on the RIGHT in the photos label 16th also. the normal one is on the left of him for sake of comb comparison in person for me and shininess of there feathers. they both appear the same besides the combs which is worrying me along with his eye
=========================================================
THE MOST COMMON SIGNS OF ILLNESS IN CHICKENS INCLUDE:
=========================================================
Not eating well: going off feed is a tell-tale sign of illness in animals
Bubbly or watery eyes or nose
Rasping when breathing
Sneezing or coughing
Swelling around the eyes
A strange odor to the bird(s)
Swelling of the comb and/or wattles
Unusual lesions (sores) on the comb and/or wattles
Limping or inability to stand
Diarrhea or stools that look or smell different
Parasites visible in stools
Feathers that look bedraggled, broken
Bald spots with an unusual loss pattern
Bloody stools
Visible wounds and sores
Enlarged crop
Hunched appearance when it isn’t cold
Standing by itself
Straining to pass an egg
Holding the wings in an odd position
==========================================================
He has none of these symptoms or showing these since hes been inside with me. also heres my check list if my paragraph was hard to read
CHECK LIST
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
breed: Rhode Island red
Unknown age but my guess is he is maybe 1-2 years old?
He doesn't appear to have any weight loss to me but these are also the first adult birds I have had.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Standing in one spot sometimes but he has the eye injury which could be the factor there
hes eating and drinking plenty as normal rooster should
Crop feels and looks fine, he doesn't turn down food or water when offered
tonight after 11 days aka tonight i noticed the dulling in the combs color. all week/everyday hes been crowing fine and happily.
but tonight hes sitting around/standing around trying to sleep what it seems like to me
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Tonight is the first day i noticed the comb coloring and he has not wanted too move much but he will move around a bit if he needs two. But he’s standing and not sitting but only sometimes as of typing this right now hes lying down and sleeping normally it seems im very puzzled.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
no others. just him
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No sign at all. besides minor dried tiny tiny blood spot on his comb from scuffle like 3 weeks ago.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
from what i know of and gather he some how injured his eye some how and he wont open it hes keeping it closed on purpose because ive seen him opening it up n closing it a few times he was fine few days b4 this eye issue. and besides the changing/dulling semi dark red of his comb nothing else seems wrong from list of symptoms but im still confused on what is wrong with his eye and is he sick from something else i dont know of maybe?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
he hasn't stopped eating or drinking since i brought inside to his nursery bed. no changes there
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
its green with powdered iconic chicken white cap and its hard. no blood no watery mess no outta ordinary from what i can tell stools
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing. so far as im not entirely sure whats wrong and i cant find a good solid answer
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Treat him myself if possible
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
i will post several with dates on them
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Housing is a well ventilated coupe with 4 inches of shavings/pine bedding
================================================================================================
PHOTOS LABELED MAY 5th is when i noticed the eye issue and brought him inside took care of him and took photos so im also using it as comparison for his recent comb color change today i noticed which is may 11th. ONES LABELED MAY 16th are today's ones and will be used for changes in comb color and other possible changes i might've missed hes the bigger one on the RIGHT in the photos label 16th also. the normal one is on the left of him for sake of comb comparison in person for me and shininess of there feathers. they both appear the same besides the combs which is worrying me along with his eye
