clogged nare - difficult case

[chickchickie]

Hey, I'm new to this forum and I'm in need of a bit of advice...I recently noticed my rooster's nostril was clogged tightly with dirt. I don't know how long it's there but judging by how tightly it's packed in, probably at least a few months. I don't even know how he got that much dirt in his nose in the first place?? It's not bothering him at all and he's acting normal but he keeps scratching his nose trying to get it out and he's blind on the clogged side so he never quite reaches the nose but instead scratches off all the skin around it. I read a few other threads/websites and I heard peroxide works wonders. Only thing is, I can't get him to hold still for more than 5 seconds so I'm scared of using peroxide in case it gets into his mouth (he also tries to eat any cotton/paper towels/syringe he sees) so I've been trying to soak it in saline solution every day and then seeing if it will loosen up so I can pry it out with a toothpick or my finger. It's been a week already and the clump of dirt isn't loosening at all and I'm at a loss as to what to do. Does anyone know of either a way to make him hold still so I can apply the peroxide, or another way of getting the dirt out? Unfortunately, I can't find a vet in my area that will take chickens either...

Thanks a lot!

 

[chickchickie]

Update - after a little work every day, I've finally managed to get close to half the clog out. The other half is still stuck fast, but it should come out eventually. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[justplainbatty]

I recently noticed my rooster's nostril was clogged tightly with dirt. I don't know how long it's there (I don't inspected his nose as often as I should) but judging by how tightly it's packed in, probably at least a few months. I don't even know how he got that much dirt in his nose in the first place?? It's not bothering him at all. He's been acting perfectly normal (though he hasn't been crowing recently) but he keeps scratching his nose trying to get it out and he's blind on the clogged side so he never quite reaches the nose but instead scratches off all the skin around it. I read a few other threads/websites and I heard peroxide works wonders. Only thing is, I can't get him to hold still for more than 5 seconds so I'm scared of using peroxide in case it gets into his mouth (he also tries to eat any cotton/paper towels/syringe he sees) so I've been trying to soak it in saline solution every day and then seeing if it will loosen up so I can pry it out with a toothpick or my finger. It's been a week already and the clump of dirt still shows no sign of coming out and I'm at a loss as to what to do. Does anyone know of either a way to make him hold still so I can apply the peroxide, or another way of getting the dirt out? Unfortunately, I can't find a vet in my area that will take chickens either...

Thanks a lot!

Welcome to the flock!

You might try flushing his sinuses with the saline. Wrap him up tight in a towel. Put him on your lap. Use one hand to hold his neck with thumb and pointer finger on his wattles. Pull down on wattles to open his mouth. Take q tips dipped in saline and press them into the cleft of his mouth. Eventually the saline should come out his nose and if he swallows a little it won't hurt him. You may need to do a few sessions before it works. You can wipe his nostrils with th saline q tips too.

 

[chickchickie]

Thanks so much! You're a lifesaver! I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure this one out >.> Will try at soon as the sun is up tomorrow

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks so much! You're a lifesaver! I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure this one out >.> Will try at soon as the sun is up tomorrow

Glad to help, let us know how it goes. We love updates!

 

[chickchickie]

No luck

Sit down he will but once he discovered q tips were not tasty, that was the end of him letting me open his mouth for anything. I've reverted back to just trying to pry it out with a toothpick. Any other ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good article on helping to treat a plugged nostril: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PluggedNare/PluggedNare.html

 

[justplainbatty]

Here is a good article on helping to treat a plugged nostril: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PluggedNare/PluggedNare.html

I was thinking dirt not snot! Yuck! Leave it to you to teach me again!

It never occurred to me that you could really, actually, pick a chicken's nose! Where does the word nare come from? Never heard that either. Farmer term?

 

[chickchickie]

Here is a good article on helping to treat a plugged nostril: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PluggedNare/PluggedNare.html

I've seen this but I'm afraid to try peroxide because he wiggles so much and tries to eat anything near his mouth.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure it's dirt, not snot. At least the little bit I managed to scrape out was dirt anyway.

Thanks for the helps though. Do you know if there is a way to sedate him so I can apply the peroxide without fear of him eating it?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not try sedating a chicken. Peroxide is fairly harmless, but just don't get it in the eyes. It is used in toothpaste, but just don't let him get a lot--you should only use a few drops at a time. If you will get someone else to wrap him in a towel burrito-style and hold him still, you should be able to use make-up pads or QTips to apply the peroxide. The longer it is on within a minute or less, the quicker it can help soften and debriding. Repeating it after using a toothpick or other tool may also help.