Facial Swelling in Hen

[chseeads]

I noticed yesterday that one of my white orpington hen's eyes looked a little funny, so I caught her up and took a closer look....her eyelid area looked a little puffy, but nothing else noticeable seemed out of place. So I thought maybe just some fluke irritation, etc....

Tonight at roost time I noticed that that side of her face (right side) now has swelling all over...her eyelid is swelled, her cheek, and her wattle on that side. The other side of her face is normal. She has no nasal or eye discharge and doesn't act ill in any way that I've noticed.

Think she might have gotten stung or bit by something??

In this pic you can see how her right wattle is swolen compared to the left being normal.....

 

[chkn]

It's like some kind of sinus problem.

 

[Oven Ready]

Could be a sting - you could try some steriod cream (hydrocortisone) on the fleshy bits that are swollen and see if it helps reduce the swelling, obv. not on the eye though.

Could it be a peck on the eyelid from another chicken and it has become infected, although it doesn't look like a normal peck infection.

I'd keep her separate from the others, so they don't pick on her for being a bit off color, and just make sure she's eating and drinking properly. If the eye starts to ooze then it's probably an infection of sorts and you coudl treat with broad spectrum antibiotics.

Do you have any nasty ants in your area? Some types that we have can cause swelling of the comb and wattles if the bird is foolish enough to go near them and it's the one place they can't readily pick them off before they get a good bite/sting.

 

[claytonhain]

probably a bee sting, my leghorn has a swollen watlle!