Rooster w/ Ear Infection, What to Do? Brahma Rooster 7 1/2 yrs old

[speckledhen]

Finally found something I hadn't seen before. Bash's ears are infected, see cheesy stuff in the right and the left is plugged up completely with a hard plug of I guess solidified infection coming out like a short horn, can't pull it out, scared to pull too hard on it. That explains some of his behavior, but it's a first for me. What to give him? I have injectible PenG, an old bottle of Tylan injectible, Vetericyn, Topical antibiotics and that's it.

ETA: Just now, I took a rag soaked in warm salt water and used it as a compress on the plug, which softened up enough to remove. Dang that boy had no hearing! I can still see some cheesy spots in both ears, but I dabbed the triple antibiotic ointment into the ear holes and gave him a Tylan dose. It's an older bottle, whereas the PenG is newer so I'm not sure which it should be. I used the Tylan because it's geared to respiratory stuff, though I see no actual congestion. At first I thought he had food stuck in his ear feathers, tried to tug it off, but I didn't see the other side that was plugged. He has to feel a tad better already, I'd think.
Anything else I should do for those who have had this experience?

 

[Eggcessive]

@dawg53 has some old posts about cleaning out the ear with hydrogen peroxide and QTips, and then filling the ear canal with Neosporin. I will look up one of those. Many ear infections are gram negative bacteria such as E.coli, pseudomonas, and others. Those can be hard to treat, and penicillin or Tylan probably would not treat those. Gentimycin, Neomycin think Neosporin ointment) are some that might. SMZ-TMP, bactrim, or sulfadimethoxine might be others, but I’m not a vet. Ideally, a vet would need to culture the organism, then would know the right antibiotic. Here is a link about ear infections from a not official site:
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/ear-infection

https://chickenwhisperermagazine.com/health-and-wellness/ear-canker

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is an old post of Dawg53, post 5:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/gunky-ears.630778/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

ETA: Just now, I took a rag soaked in warm salt water and used it as a compress on the plug, which softened up enough to remove. Dang that boy had no hearing! I can still see some cheesy spots in both ears, but I dabbed the triple antibiotic ointment into the ear holes and gave him a Tylan dose. It's an older bottle, whereas the PenG is newer so I'm not sure which it should be. I used the Tylan because it's geared to respiratory stuff, though I see no actual congestion. At first I thought he had food stuck in his ear feathers, tried to tug it off, but I didn't see the other side that was plugged. He has to feel a tad better already, I'd think.
Anything else I should do for those who have had this experience?

Your on the right track!

Looks like Kim has given you good info and links. Did you happen to snap some photos of the material/ear infection Cynthia?

 

[speckledhen]

No, I didn't and I checked the tray where I left it, but my husband had thrown it away. It was just a hard cheesy plug coming out of the ear a bit, could not budge it until I soaked it with the wet salty rag. I have just never seen anything like that. I've seen some weird stuff over 19 years, but never this. I already packed his ears today with triple antibiotic so I'll let that stay and do the peroxide tomorrow. I'm glad I asked about the antibiotic because I wasn't sure it would do any good with this.
Thanks for all your help! Will update you soon.

ETA: I do not believe he has anything respiratory. Never saw any of that here, except a situational pneumonia and a bacterial sinus infection with a hen who recovered from a fungal lung infection, so nothing contagious. If it's that, it must be something bacterial. The hens seem fine. I haven't seen any mites, but I did put Ivermectin pour-on on him very recently, so I don't think he'd have them. Will check, though.

 

[dawg53]

No, I didn't and I checked the tray where I left it, but my husband had thrown it away. It was just a hard cheesy plug coming out of the ear a bit, could not budge it until I soaked it with the wet salty rag. I have just never seen anything like that. I've seen some weird stuff over 19 years, but never this. I already packed his ears today with triple antibiotic so I'll let that stay and do the peroxide tomorrow. I'm glad I asked about the antibiotic because I wasn't sure it would do any good with this.
Thanks for all your help! Will update you soon.

ETA: I do not believe he has anything respiratory. Never saw any of that here, except a situational pneumonia and a bacterial sinus infection with a hen who recovered from a fungal lung infection, so nothing contagious. If it's that, it must be something bacterial. The hens seem fine. I haven't seen any mites, but I did put Ivermectin pour-on on him very recently, so I don't think he'd have them. Will check, though.

I hope you're not dealing with "Ear Canker." Here's a link with pics:
https://chickenwhisperermagazine.com/health-and-wellness/ear-canker

 

[speckledhen]

I don't know, but it says that polymixin is effective against it. That is one of the topicals in triple antibiotic ointment. Thanks for the link!

 

[speckledhen]

Adding that I checked my arsenal and I have Oxine with which to treat the water they're drinking, attack it from the mouth end of it-dosage is 1/8 tsp in a gallon of water, but it's a royal pain to take off the tops so I may just put several drops in the trays of the waterers, maybe 5-6 drops? Also, I found something I'm not sure how to use or if I should use. It's BioActive Silver Hydrosol drops. I have it in dropper form and nasal spray form as well. I realize many use it with chickens, but wasn't sure how to do it effectively in this situation. I have never used it on chickens, closest was Silver Sulfadiazene cream on wounds. Colloidal silver is anti-bacterial so anyone have any idea if I should use this as part of his treatment?
This morning he is getting the treatment and I think I"ll also treat Brandy, one of his remaining hens. Her ear covering seemed a bit crusty, but she gets food all over her and I really didn't think much of it, never having to deal with ears in almost 19 years of keeping chickens. So, peroxide, Oxine, triple antibiotic ointment, maybe colloidal silver are ready to go this morning. This isn't going to be fun. Bash is a big guy, sweet as heck, but he's not going to stay still. A stretchy old t-shirt to tie around him to hold his wings down may work better than a towel that keeps shifting. I've seen some crazy stuff with hens and odd wounds, nares with growths in them, but never ear issues.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The Oxine will help sanitize the water, so may help prevent spread if you think you are dealing with something contagious.

I've not used Colloidal Silver so can't say how well it will work. Some have or they use it in conjunction with an antibiotic.

The most "comprehensive" thread about Colloidal Silver I have come across her on BYC is linked below.
I'd look at the posts by @coach723 and @Hen Pen Jem in that thread, if you use the drop down of "who replied" it will give you a list, then click on their responses. Those 2 are the ones I'd read anyway, they have a few posts in that thread. (eta - I found a way to link the page their replies, so included those below).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...c[thread]=1277070&c[users]=Hen+Pen+Jem&o=date

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/13663791/?t=post&c[thread]=1277070&c[users]=coach723&o=date

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/colloidal-silver-dosage.1277070/

I think you are still on the right track by cleaning out the ears, see if the material returns.

 

[speckledhen]

I was not able to completely clean out the ears of some tiny pieces I saw that appeared to be solidified infection, but the big stuff is out, peroxide used, then packed with triple antibiotic that includes polymixin (article dawg linked mentioned that as being very effective if it is ear canker) and then dropped a drop of the silver solution into the ointment as well. Can't hurt, might help in this situation. I don't know that this is contagious necessarily, have never encountered any contagions in all these years because I have strict biosecurity, no wild birds get into the barn, etc, but the Brahmas are famous for getting food all over themselves when I feed them scrambled eggs and such and some ends up at the ear area. I treated all three of them because those three are in such close proximity all the time and their water has Oxine in it. In fact, I put that in all the waterers in the barn, used to do it frequently, but life got in the way and I hadn't for a long time. Good thing I have a mostly full quart bottle of it.
At the moment, I have a 2 1/2 yr old EE hen dying in a hospital cage, 2nd of this young hatchery group. I swear, no more darn hatchery stock! Turns out the same every time, darn it.
By the way, thanks, my friend. You must not live very far from me, being in the N. Carolina mtns. N. GA mtns here, 8/10 of a mile from the NC line.