FirstTimeClucky
Songster
- Feb 13, 2017
- 186
- 203
- 136
This looks like Swollen Head Syndrome. If the chicken is behaving normally and showing no sign of illness other than the swelling, that's probably what it is. It's usually caused by a peck to the head from another bird. I have a quail with this condition. She has survived for several months so far and is still eating, drinking and laying eggs. I've tried a number of potential cures but nothing has worked so far.
SHS is a viral infection. There is no known cure. That's why they don't act sick or die as they would with a bacterial infection. It's almost like a benign tumour. It stays on the same side of the head and does not spread anywhere else. Antibiotics won't do anything for it, nor will honey etc. Lancing and draining won't do any good because the gunk inside the swelling is like a firm paste and won't drain even with a wide bore needle. Surgery would be needed to remove the gunk. Draining it won't cure the infection as it would for a bacterial infection such as a boil, as the virus is still in the body. Even if you could drain it, the swelling will just come back. Also, it's dangerous to stick a needle in a bird's head, especially near its eye. It hurts them a lot and they struggle like crazy, you would need at least one other person to hold the bird still enough to prevent a mishap like poking its eye out or piercing its sinus.
The prognosis is that the bird can live normally but the swelling will continue to slowly get bigger until it affects their breathing, sight and possibly brain. When they start acting sick or lose quality of life they need to be culled. They are not contagious except by direct contact from a peck that breaks the skin. My quail has now lost the sight in the eye affected by the swelling. She cannot fully close her beak on that side. These birds should be kept separately from the others because the flock will eventually start picking on the affected bird, and a partially blind bird is especially vulnerable.
I would recommend you get a vet to test your bird and rule out any bacterial or fungal (mycoplasma) infection. If it's SHS then it's up to you if you want to keep the bird separately from the others until it's time to cull, or just cull right away. My quail is not in distress other than losing the sight in her eye and she's had this infection for about 4 months. I've tried the following to treat it:
- penicillin/vitamin supplement ("super booster"), didn't work
- sulfa/Trimethoprim, didn't work
- probiotics - no change
- topical treatments (Vetericyn eye gel, Neosporin) - no change
- lancing the swelling with needle/syringe - unable to draw anything into the needle
- l-Lysine, this enzyme is usually used to treat or prevent herpesvirus cold sores. I am still treating with this in her water, I expect if it works it will take weeks to see a difference.
All I do to treat my quail is make sure she's comfortable, gets high quality feed and greens with l-Lysine powder in her water, and has her own partitioned space in the quail cage so she can see the others. Once a day I examine her for signs the swelling is affecting her ability to function and inspect the swelling itself, and cover her swelling and eye with Polysporin cream, mainly to keep the skin supple and protect the eye from dirt.
SHS is a viral infection. There is no known cure. That's why they don't act sick or die as they would with a bacterial infection. It's almost like a benign tumour. It stays on the same side of the head and does not spread anywhere else. Antibiotics won't do anything for it, nor will honey etc. Lancing and draining won't do any good because the gunk inside the swelling is like a firm paste and won't drain even with a wide bore needle. Surgery would be needed to remove the gunk. Draining it won't cure the infection as it would for a bacterial infection such as a boil, as the virus is still in the body. Even if you could drain it, the swelling will just come back. Also, it's dangerous to stick a needle in a bird's head, especially near its eye. It hurts them a lot and they struggle like crazy, you would need at least one other person to hold the bird still enough to prevent a mishap like poking its eye out or piercing its sinus.
The prognosis is that the bird can live normally but the swelling will continue to slowly get bigger until it affects their breathing, sight and possibly brain. When they start acting sick or lose quality of life they need to be culled. They are not contagious except by direct contact from a peck that breaks the skin. My quail has now lost the sight in the eye affected by the swelling. She cannot fully close her beak on that side. These birds should be kept separately from the others because the flock will eventually start picking on the affected bird, and a partially blind bird is especially vulnerable.
I would recommend you get a vet to test your bird and rule out any bacterial or fungal (mycoplasma) infection. If it's SHS then it's up to you if you want to keep the bird separately from the others until it's time to cull, or just cull right away. My quail is not in distress other than losing the sight in her eye and she's had this infection for about 4 months. I've tried the following to treat it:
- penicillin/vitamin supplement ("super booster"), didn't work
- sulfa/Trimethoprim, didn't work
- probiotics - no change
- topical treatments (Vetericyn eye gel, Neosporin) - no change
- lancing the swelling with needle/syringe - unable to draw anything into the needle
- l-Lysine, this enzyme is usually used to treat or prevent herpesvirus cold sores. I am still treating with this in her water, I expect if it works it will take weeks to see a difference.
All I do to treat my quail is make sure she's comfortable, gets high quality feed and greens with l-Lysine powder in her water, and has her own partitioned space in the quail cage so she can see the others. Once a day I examine her for signs the swelling is affecting her ability to function and inspect the swelling itself, and cover her swelling and eye with Polysporin cream, mainly to keep the skin supple and protect the eye from dirt.
