Preening gland - orange gunk

[smudge]

I thought the preening gland was supposed to exude clear oil. I've received a problem girl whose gland looked a bit dirty. I cleaned it up and massaged it and orange gunk came out. Is that concentrated preening gland oil, or does she have an infection?

BTW, I've observed this girl preen but I've never seen her use her preening gland.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have picture? She may not be preening normally. The uropygial or preen gland can become blocked and a small abscess may occur. You can clean it with a disnfectant or soap and water.

 

[smudge]

I don't have a picture. I'll try to get one later.

She came to me with a mighty mite problem, and I've gotten rid of the worst of that problem (which is good, because I ran out of benedryl for myself). And I think feather lice as well. At least, I suspect those masses I've been pulling off are eggs.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good article on how to recognize and treat lice or mites:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/