Chicken has swollen face. Is it a disease or housing problem?

[Landon1117]

Hi everyone.
So just today I noticed that my Dorking hen, probably around 5 yrs. old or more, has a pretty swollen face (I’ve attached a picture below). Besides that, she is acting fairly normal, foraging, etc. My concern is that, if it is some sort of disease, the rest of my flock may become sick and I definitely do not want that. Some things that have happened recently that could have caused this may be the rain. We have gotten probably over 10 inches of rain here in less than a week, and the coop and field around it got very muddy. We cleaned the coop pretty well but it’s still very muddy outside. We also have been dealing with mites in the pine bedding, but have been trying to treat them with DE. I would think it would be either of these 2 things, or a combination of both, but none of the other chickens are having any clear symptoms. Thanks for any help.

 

[50-45-1]

I believe your hen has scaley face mite.
It comonly shows up in older birds, or birds that do not forage much and broody hens who set stationary for a long time.
I did a little reading, and like most mites you must smuther them in oil. The article i read recomended virgin pure coconut oil for around the face and eyes.
Check the rest of your flock for face and leg mites.
I hope she recovers, i love Dorkings!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We also have been dealing with mites in the pine bedding, but have been trying to treat them with DE.

I agree with @50-45-1 it looks like she may have scaly face mites. I also concur with using coconut oil on the face or you can use something like VetRx just follow the directions in the box.

DE is not an effective treatment for parasites. Use a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust to treat your housing and chickens. You need to break the life cycle of external parasites so treat every 7-10 days a few times to kill any that hatch. Birds and housing need to be treated each time and bedding renewed.

Please note- that Scaly Face Mites are a different type of mite than external mites and lice, they live under the skin, so they do need to be smothered, hence the oils.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

There are many choices of Permethrin products on the market, look online or at your local feed store. Concentrates are cost effective, just mix what you need following the instructions. Dusting powders are also available as well as pre-mixed sprays. Hopefully you will find one to suit your needs.

 

[Landon1117]

Thank you all for the advice. I actually do have VetRx on hand and will get the permethrin spray tomorrow. I plan on applying the VetRx tonight. None of my other chickens have any symptoms of scaly leg/face and look relatively normal. I also checked my precious polish hen for mites around her feathers and couldn’t find any. I only notice them when getting eggs from the nesting boxs, which is where the bedding is. Do you know around how fast I should see results using the VetRx, assuming that’s it is scaly mites? And possibly why I don’t see the mites directly on the chickens but only in the bedding (they are a light grey color and visible without any magnification).

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you all for the advice. I actually do have VetRx on hand and will get the permethrin spray tomorrow. I plan on applying the VetRx tonight. None of my other chickens have any symptoms of scaly leg/face and look relatively normal. I also checked my precious polish hen for mites around her feathers and couldn’t find any. I only notice them when getting eggs from the nesting boxs, which is where the bedding is. Do you know around how fast I should see results using the VetRx, assuming that’s it is scaly mites? And possibly why I don’t see the mites directly on the chickens but only in the bedding (they are a light grey color and visible without any magnification).

Mites usually live in the housing and come out to feed at night. They can be different colors depending on if they have been feeding and what "species" they are.
To usually see mites on your birds, you would need to examine them at night while they are roosting.
Here's a good article to help you id the bugs you are seeing https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

It can take a little while to see improvement of the skin if it's damaged from mites. I would apply the ointment a couple of times a week for a few weeks.