I need your help please. I have had a flock of 25 Buff Orpingtons (only), for 3 years now. Over the course of 3 years, but not at the same time, I have had 3 episodes of hens' eyes bulging, exactly like the picture of the BO found at this link. http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/0/0b/350x700px-LL-0b27ed14_Popeyeclose-up3.jpeg
I did a Google search on "chickens eyes bulging", and the only chickens I found that had this same full eye bulge were Buff Orpingtons, no other breeds! Does anyone know what causes this? This is a full bulge, not swelling around a normal eye.
Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I've had 3 different hens who have had it,
or if it is a re-occurrence in the same hen..... In a flock of 25, B.O.s all look the same to me.
I'd sure appreciate any help you can give. The BO hen eats, drinks, and otherwise acts and looks normal and healthy.
~ Glenda
Need help please! Buff Orp.'s eyes bulging...
I have seen people with bulging eyeballs before. I asked a very well respected woman at the health food store what caused that and she said it was sometimes a thyroid deficiency. Probably has no merit in this conversation. :) The man was a lawyer and his bulging eyes were quite pronounced, much more so than your chicken's.
I can certainly see why it would be a concern to you. It would almost indicate a swelling of some kind in the head behind the eyes. Of course it could just be the eyeball itself doing that for whatever reason.
In other words, I have no clue, but I do wish you and your chickens well.
I looked at the pic and I don't see any bulging.Do you have a pic of your hen?Is there any other symptoms like waterering,nasal discharge? I`ll see if I can find out anything for you
The human eye bulging you mention is from hyperthyroidism and looks a bit different. I gather the chicken's condition was temporary in the past? Is it both or only one eye? I have had Buff Orpingtons for many years and have never observed bulging eyes...No help, I'm afraid.
Thanks everyone! I will try to get a picture of my hen today. It's always both eyes.
Green, no discharge at all from the nose, no sneezing. She otherwise looks and acts healthy. Strange, huh?
Someone suggested a sinus infection. Any bubbles around the eyes or running? Try Vet Rx,you can get it at tsc,feed stores,amazon
This message was edited Mar 26, 2014 6:17 PM
If the bulges go away on their own anyway, I would leave it alone.
No bubbles, oozing, pus, tearing, or runny "nose".....just bulging. Whether this is the same hen or 3 different ones, the bulges did go away after awhile and stayed gone for weeks. I think I'll just watch and see if she starts acting strange/sick. So far, she acts normal.
.......Weird.
Porkpal, I also did some digging on this subject today and found the picture she posted and the things people posted under the pic. They also mentioned thyroid problems in chickens. So apparently, I wasn't completely off base.
So many of us are having thyroid problems, including myself, though I don't have bulging eyes, thank God. So much is against us these days. Some are saying that it is the fluoride in our water. Our thyroid will absorb the fluoride instead of iodine/iodide, because they are in the same chemical family or some such logic. Fluoride is the main ingredient in rat poison btw and doesn't help our teeth, or so some scientists are reporting. It is some kind of waste from nuclear production they needed to get rid of, so they sold it to us to put in our water. So very kind of them, whoever "them" is.
I've spent hours tonight going through Avian medical websites looking for a chicken who looked like mine. None were found, and no illnesses presented symptoms like my BO has.
I did find one article on an avian medical website that mentioned that it is possible for a chicken's thyroid to be affected by photoperiod. Maybe LFJ is right, and that's the problem for this one chicken. If so, with warm weather expected next week, maybe some direct sunshine, rather than electric lighting, will help.
......I still think it's odd that the only other chickens that have the same look mine has, have been Buff Opingtons. So far, I have found two other cases.
Thanks for your help everyone! As always, you're a blessing!