Hen with persistent infection in face/cheek

[LaFleche]

Maybe this article will help with your decision (graphic pictures):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/sinus-infection-removal-in-a-peafowl.75364/

 

[Winchikn]

Wow - those are helpful graphics. I've found one other thread with a peafowl face surgery on the site but missed that one in my searches. I will consult with my husband again. I wish we had a local guru to help us out with another surgery attempt as I'm just not sure we have the skills/nerve to do a good job.

Two questions - we had a lot of trouble immobilizing this hen when we tried surgery the first time - she's pretty big and pretty feisty. I noticed that pea fowl was duct taped into some sacks. If we get our hen more tightly wrapped is there a chance she'll keep her head more still? I had her wrapped in a towel last time and turned as much on her side as I could get her but she was definitely not calm or still, esp with her head exposed.

Second question - is there any a chance that an infection that was more threadlike/ribbony could turn into a hard nodule like the kernels you see in bumblefoot or the lump that came out of the pea fowl's sinus/cheek?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Wow - those are helpful graphics. I've found one other thread with a peafowl face surgery on the site but missed that one in my searches. I will consult with my husband again. I wish we had a local guru to help us out with another surgery attempt as I'm just not sure we have the skills/nerve to do a good job.

Two questions - we had a lot of trouble immobilizing this hen when we tried surgery the first time - she's pretty big and pretty feisty. I noticed that pea fowl was duct taped into some sacks. If we get our hen more tightly wrapped is there a chance she'll keep her head more still? I had her wrapped in a towel last time and turned as much on her side as I could get her but she was definitely not calm or still, esp with her head exposed.

Second question - is there any a chance that an infection that was more threadlike/ribbony could turn into a hard nodule like the kernels you see in bumblefoot or the lump that came out of the pea fowl's sinus/cheek?

Those are good questions. @casportpony shared the article, so hopefully she can chime in with some tips.

 

[coach723]

I always wrap mine up in towels to work on them, and lay them on their back. Some will lay quite still, some will not. I would definitely want at least two people for this one, maybe three if that's an option. One could hold the bird, one help hold the head (maybe try to partially cover the eyes to calm her if possible), and one to do the procedure.
Yes, over time you will get hard lumps, kernals or nodules of pus. The body tries to encapsulate it, but with some infections the immune system just isn't up to the task. So over time you get more and more pus built up.
The important thing is to have everything you think you will need on hand and ready for use, and take your time. I always have sterile saline for flushing ready, and lots of paper towels. Stop and breathe if necessary. My first bumblefoot surgery took over an hour because I was so nervous and stressed about it. It's ok to stop and breathe a bit.

 

[azygous]

Here is a scientific paper on the use of pine tar as a wound treatment. The advantages are that no bandaging is needed to get it to remain on the wound. It dries and sticks to the wound until the wound has healed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5434829/

 

[Winchikn]

Again - thank you all. The pine tar sounds like a good alternative.

We have chlorhexidine on hand and the only antibiotic we have is called Oxysol 62.5 (Oxytetracycline hydrochoride soluble powder). I think this is different from Tylan and I'm not sure I'll be able to buy Tylan from our vet here but we can ask.

I will update as to what we decide and I do have a few friends here in the Slocan Valley with far more chicken-keeping experience that I may be able to call on for help if we decide to attempt the surgery.

 

[Sally PB]

Sending you my thoughts, prayers, and positive waves. You and your husband are very brave.

 

[Winchikn]

Quick update that I talked to our local vet who is willing and interested in working on chickens, but still fairly new to them. She did our hen's first surgery. I chatted through the ethical angles of 1) leaving this hen's infection to progress, 2) euthanizing when she didn't seem ready, and 3) doing a home-surgery.

Long and the short is that the vet has agreed to do another surgery. She doesn't think the odds are good of getting everything based on what she saw first time around, but she said she can debulk the infection and thereby buy some more time. I discussed pine tar with her and she is concerned about tissue and eye damage, given how location of the infection. Her recommendation is to try unpasteurized honey, which should have the same anti-bacterial and drawing properties.

Curious if anyone has any experiences with honey and chicken infections as I haven't seen it mentioned much on the site although I know it is coming to be more widely accepted and used by vets. Also wondering if anyone has advice on how open to leave the surgery site if we're wanting to draw infection out. She stitched it shut first time and second time we were left with a hole to flush with antibiotics and saline - which did not go well.

Surgery is schedule for this coming Thursday...

 

[LaFleche]

Curious if anyone has any experiences with honey and chicken infections as I haven't seen it mentioned much on the site although I know it is coming to be more widely accepted and used by vets.

Search for Manuca or Manuka honey:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?keywords=manuca+honey&tab=0

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?query=manuka honey

 

[Winchikn]

A sad end to this story. Two Strike, our hen with the infection, was scheduled for surgery today and when I got the flock up at 7:00 this morning she was one of the first off the roost as usual and headed out for some food and water and foraging time in the garden.

When I went to collect her to take to the vet 2 hours later I couldn't find her with the flock, and discovered her dead at the edge of our compost heap - a spot in the garden favoured by all our hens. She hadn't been gone long but was clearly departed.

I've been asking her to let me know what she wants, and she made that pretty clear this morning. No more intervention. Not the miracle I was hoping for but an end to any suffering she was experiencing, either way.

Thanks again to everyone who provided support here and encouraged me to keep trying. She was a lovely hen and worth the efforts we made to try to save her. I was new to chicken keeping when she got her little wound last fall and this experience definitely taught me to treat even minor wounds, knowledge my flock will benefit from in years to come.