Facial / comb swelling in 21 week old pullet

[ButtonquailGirl14]

so sorry

 

[Eggcessive]

Fowl cholera can cause swelling of the face, wattles, or comb, but you would probably be seeing a much sicker bird. That is why trying the benadryl for some sort of bite or sting might be helpful. I will check back in tomorrow morning.

 

[DobieLover]

Fowl cholera can cause swelling of the face, wattles, or comb, but you would probably be seeing a much sicker bird. That is why trying the benadryl for some sort of bite or sting might be helpful. I will check back in tomorrow morning.

But what about that hole? Does that look like a hard peck wound? That is what DH and I are leaning toward.
The head pullet is a nasty girl.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How deep does that hole go?
Does it look "fresh" like it was done today or is it possible she was injured earlier in the week and the scab was just now picked/pulled off?

I really don't know quite what to make of all the swelling, I would try the Benadryl as suggested to see if that makes a difference.

 

[micstrachan]

It might help if we could get a better look at the hole. Is it possible she had some sort of abscess that ruptured through the skin? Did the hole appear after the swelling started?

 

[DobieLover]

How deep does that hole go?
Does it look "fresh" like it was done today or is it possible she was injured earlier in the week and the scab was just now picked/pulled off?

I really don't know quite what to make of all the swelling, I would try the Benadryl as suggested to see if that makes a difference.

I got somewhere between 6.5 and 12.5 mg of Benadryl in her tonight.
The hole looks actively bloody. I did not notice blood on her neck yesterday. We saw it when we were taking the pictures prior to feeling the swelling in her cheeks and head. I have no idea how long it has been there. It could be a picked off scab or a fresh peck from today. I guess I'm thinking it is a picked off scab because of the swelling but I just don't know.

 

[DobieLover]

It might help if we could get a better look at the hole. Is it possible she had some sort of abscess that ruptured through the skin? Did the hole appear after the swelling started?

??
I just don't know. We spent the weekend working on putting up fencing, install stairs on our deck and working on our mudroom addition. Ended up spending over 1/2 a day at the hospital for an unexpected CT scan for DH. Kind of busy but also kind of par for the course. I just wasn't paying as much attention to the chickens as I usually have time to do and now I'm paying the price.
I'll take another picture in the morning of the hole. I'm NOT good with this stuff. But DH has moderate stage Alzheimer's and just can't help as much as he used to so I'm forced to do these things that make me want to faint. I'm an engineer and not a vet for a very good reason!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I do wonder like @micstrachan if it was an abscess or cyst that burst. Can you take a closer look at the wound and tell if it looks like a puncture wound or possibly something that ruptured.

How did you treat the wound - flush it or anything like that? Wetted feathers make it easier to see. You can use saline, soap/water, whatever you have on hand.

 

[DobieLover]

I do wonder like @micstrachan if it was an abscess or cyst that burst. Can you take a closer look at the wound and tell if it looks like a puncture wound or possibly something that ruptured.

How did you treat the wound - flush it or anything like that? Wetted feathers make it easier to see. You can use saline, soap/water, whatever you have on hand.

I used a swab sprayed with Vetericyn plus (the gel style) and rolled it against the hole to clean it 3x. Then I sprayed it directly into the hole.

We can try to flush it in the morning by bringing her in the bathroom and squirting some betadine/water solution into it.

Signing off for the night. Have to go to work in the morning and try to manage this over the phone and on my lunch break.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I used a swab sprayed with Vetericyn plus (the gel style) and rolled it against the hole to clean it 3x. Then I sprayed it directly into the hole.

We can try to flush it in the morning by bringing her in the bathroom and squirting some betadine/water solution into it.

Signing off for the night. Have to go to work in the morning and try to manage this over the phone and on my lunch break.

Vetericyn is the good stuff!
Get some rest and let us know how she is doing in the morning