maritown
In the Brooder
- Feb 7, 2016
- 21
- 2
- 24
I was doing chores in the barn tonight when I noticed one of my Barred Rocks walking into the barn. This was unusual as the chickens always go in the coop around this time of evening. I picked her up and she had some fight when I grabbed her but made no attempt to run when I reached for her, again unusual.
Then she turned her head and I saw, and smelled, why. She has a yellow/green/black rotting hole in her face. It smells absolutely putrid. Her face is very swollen on that side around it, to the point where her eye is shut. The wound is right next to her beak, and I would guess about the size of a pinky fingernail with the smelling then surrounding it and migrating up the face.
Her breathing isn't raspy at all and there is no discharge or anything abnormal on the non-wounded side of face. I checked her over otherwise and she looks good, clean vent etc, though definitely under weight. I isolated her and watched her for a bit and she doesn't walk much, mostly just stands with her tail drooping very low, clearly not well. She tried to eat but I'm not sure if she physically can?
So, my questions are as such:
1) It looks like she got an injury, maybe pecked, which got infected and is eating a hole in her face. Is this even possible? Is there a chance this is contagious?
2) Is there anything I can do for her? Antibiotics? Any way to fix this or is this too far gone? She looks like she might pass on her own tonight.
I've had chickens for years and never seen anything like this. I feel so guilty for not catching it sooner.
Then she turned her head and I saw, and smelled, why. She has a yellow/green/black rotting hole in her face. It smells absolutely putrid. Her face is very swollen on that side around it, to the point where her eye is shut. The wound is right next to her beak, and I would guess about the size of a pinky fingernail with the smelling then surrounding it and migrating up the face.
Her breathing isn't raspy at all and there is no discharge or anything abnormal on the non-wounded side of face. I checked her over otherwise and she looks good, clean vent etc, though definitely under weight. I isolated her and watched her for a bit and she doesn't walk much, mostly just stands with her tail drooping very low, clearly not well. She tried to eat but I'm not sure if she physically can?
So, my questions are as such:
1) It looks like she got an injury, maybe pecked, which got infected and is eating a hole in her face. Is this even possible? Is there a chance this is contagious?
2) Is there anything I can do for her? Antibiotics? Any way to fix this or is this too far gone? She looks like she might pass on her own tonight.
I've had chickens for years and never seen anything like this. I feel so guilty for not catching it sooner.