Growth or Infection next to Beak

[LucyBW]

Hi Everyone
I have a small flock of 4 chickens and my older one has developed a growth of sorts on the edge of her lower beak. I think it has developed over the last 2 weeks.
She is a Barred Rock, probably about 6 years old. She seems alert and comes out to see me, same as usual. And she is still laying. Her beak is starting to scissor slightly due to the growth/infection. I don’t know of any trauma.

My hens eat Layena pellets and I give them oyster shells.
They are free range within a pen that is 24 X 28 feet with several trees in it. We live in San Diego.
The other 3 hens seem perfectly healthy. All laying, no beak issues.

Here are a couple of pictures. I’d love to hear what any of you think…
Thanks so much!
Lucy

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

It looks like a canker. Open her mouth. Is there anything inside? It would look like white or yellow plaque.

 

[dawg53]

I agree, it could be canker. Open her beak and smell inside her mouth. If there's a foul odor, it's canker.

 

[LucyBW]

Ok - I'll check tomorrow.... Thanks!

 

[LucyBW]

I looked inside her mouth. Kindof a yellowish version of cottage cheese.
Didn't seem like much of a foul odor, at about 3 inches away.
She is not eating pellets.
I mashed up some of her feed with a little water and mixed in some yogurt. She ate quite a bit. Then drank lots of water.
She is not looking well. Sometimes just stands dazed with her eyes closing, or one eye closed.
Starting to research canker...

 

[LucyBW]

Is it ok to human antibiotic cream on the infection beside her mouth?
I have Polysporin.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes these lesions inside and outside the beak can be from wet fowl pox or more rarely, cancer of the mouth. Those should not have a terrible odor as canker does. But canker is a common infection, carried by pigeons and other wild birds. It can be treated with certain anti-protozoal drugs such as metronidazole (fish zole) or ronidazole. Your vet may be of help in diagnosing.

 

[LucyBW]

Oh ok.
I'm starting to look up wet fowl pox....I should ask the feed store where I got her if she would have been inoculated for fowl pox.
There are no pigeons where I live, but plenty of small birds that get into the pen.

I tried to cleanup the growth/wound and put some polysporin on it.