Chicken swollen face, eye closed shut! Help!

[6sablehens]

Thanks everyone for all your help!! Good suggestions as to what it could be - an insect bite, or one of the respiratory diseases listed.

Today there is big improvement! The chickens eye is nearly fully open but there is still a a lot swelling around it. I didn’t notice any bite marks or bumps but it’s possible that it could be an insect bite or allergy. I haven’t tried applying any cream yet as it has been improving on it’s own so far. If it stops improving I will definitely consider trying Benadryl if it is safe for chickens.

The only thing that has me worried is one of my chickens, a Welsummer, used to have a dark red comb folded to one side, but i recently noticed it’s pale, standing up straight & looks a little swollen. Could swelling cause the comb to become thicker and therefore stronger so it is able to stand? Not sure if that’s the case. They are moulting at the moment so I would usually expect the comb to be pale, however, her comb looks so different to what it is usually like! This is what’s making me think what is wrong with my Wyandotte might be contagious. I really hope this isn’t the case.
I didn’t notice any bad smell coming from the Wyandotte.

Pictures from today:

 

[Mr.Universe]

If it stops improving I will definitely consider trying Benadryl if it is safe for chickens.

The only thing that has me worried is one of my chickens, a Welsummer, used to have a dark red comb folded to one side, but i recently noticed it’s pale, standing up straight & looks a little swollen. Could swelling cause the comb to become thicker and therefore stronger so it is able to stand? Not sure if that’s the case. They are moulting at the moment so I would usually expect the comb to be pale, however, her comb looks so different to what it is usually like! This is what’s making me think what is wrong with my Wyandotte might be contagious. I really hope this isn’t the case.
I didn’t notice any bad smell coming from the Wyandotte.

Pictures from today:

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childrens chewable benadryl is safe for chickens according to the link i replied too. a spider bite can easily dissapear inside of 24 hours so if you didnt catch it when ithappened likely signs of such have dissapeared aside from minor redness.

as for the swollen comb, yes, the facial swelling can cause the comb to inflate.

chickens love coconut oil, try letting them have a little, it helps relax my girls, they enjoy it a lot. if you dont currently have any, avoid the pure white oils, they have been bleached, coconut oil should have a light beige color to it.

im glad the eye has cleared up and swelling has receeded.

i would try administering the benadryl in the mornings before too much contact and exposure to open air is done in the day and check for changes to rule out environmental issues as being a cause or a contributing factor to this issue and check back with us to let us know if conditions change

 

[6sablehens]

Thank you!! Sorry for such a late reply... it turns out the cockerels face continued to get better until there was not any swelling at all, just mucus, which has mostly cleared up now. I’m still not 100% sure what caused this but everyone’s opinions have really helped give me ideas as to what it might have been. I’m amazed how my chicken just got better on it’s own every day, I was expecting a worse outcome, considering the condition it was in when I noticed it’s face!

As for the hen who had a pale comb standing up, looking different, I’m thinking it’s just because she is moulting at the moment.

 

[6sablehens]

childrens chewable benadryl is safe for chickens according to the link i replied too. a spider bite can easily dissapear inside of 24 hours so if you didnt catch it when ithappened likely signs of such have dissapeared aside from minor redness.

as for the swollen comb, yes, the facial swelling can cause the comb to inflate.

chickens love coconut oil, try letting them have a little, it helps relax my girls, they enjoy it a lot. if you dont currently have any, avoid the pure white oils, they have been bleached, coconut oil should have a light beige color to it.

im glad the eye has cleared up and swelling has receeded.

i would try administering the benadryl in the mornings before too much contact and exposure to open air is done in the day and check for changes to rule out environmental issues as being a cause or a contributing factor to this issue and check back with us to let us know if conditions change

Also thanks for your info about Benadryl, it could come in handy in the future and for the tip about the coconut oil, I’d like give some to my flock for their general health anyway now that you’ve mentioned it.

 

[Mr.Universe]

coconut oil makes theyre feather extremely shiny and helps with theyre preen glands. they dont smell quite as much like chickens over time.

as for the molting and the color. while molting suppliment in 2tbsp molasses per gallon of water. unsulphered only. should help with the comb color. i have a girl now that has a very pasty flaky looking comb but is acting totally normal and she too is going through a molt of sorts.

shes getting all her big girl feathers and loosing some of the under fluff from a baby, baby and i accredit it to that. just keep an eye on it. a lot of times a pale deflated comb is a hint to lack of iron, which does happen during molts as the body produces new feathers they tend to bleed a little which is easily explained. chickens dont have a whole lot of blood in them, so every bit helps

 

[6sablehens]

Yes, the benifits of coconut oil sound great, we’ve given it to dogs and horses, but who would have thought chickens!

I’m going to get them all some vitamins to help with their moult anyway, some I’ve used in the past already contain molasses. It’s also a good time for worming.

The chicken with the comb that looks strange is a welsummer hen, not the same chicken I originally posted about, which was a Wyandotte cockerel.