Bubbling Eye - Should I Worry ?

[dawn]

Hoping someone can give me some quick advice. Squeak, young Pekin hen has a watering eye, which forms clear bubbles in the corner. She's laid today, seems perfectly happy and is eating and doing the usual pecking and wandering around. She was wormed just over a month ago, red mite seem to be under control, our cockeral has scaly leg but she hasn't and there are no other problems that I can see.

I've bathed the eye with boiled water which cleared it, but it started watering again.

Any ideas on what I should do, and whether she should be isolated from the others ?

 

[podstable]

She may just have irritated the eye somehow , if it looks ok and shes well personally I wouldnt worry . If ,however, she develops sneeze ,swollen face/eye , red/sticky eye or generally unwell Id isolate and ask vets opinion to exclude respiratory tract infection etc. Its probably 'a nothing' and just needs watching to check shes ok . Hope shes fine , Ros

 

[Davidd]

Hi dawn, sometimes it can be caused by windy conditions- as long as she isn't sneezing and gurgling-( signs along with bubbling eyes of Mycroplasma) i would watch her for a few days -it should clear up if just caused by the wind.
regards, David

 

[dawn]

Thanks Ros and David, I had a search on here last night and found some advice about checking for a rattly chest and smelly breath re mycoplasma. There was nothing like that and the watering stopped before bedtime so I didn't isolate her. She seems ok this morning, just a little white discharge around the eye. Overnight pooh in the henhouse was normal which is always reassuring.

I'd thought it'd cause more distress all round to isolate her at present as our other hen is broody and no company so our cockeral would be on his own too and they are really close. He goes in to the nest box and treads the straw into shape for her and often stays in the nest box with her while she lays. I brought him in with her while I was bathing her eye and checking her yesterday and he stayed as close as he could making soothing cooing noises. As soon as I put her down she ran to him and buried her head in his chest feathers.

It is good to have this forum to look to with worries, especially as I'm so new to keeping chickens.