Hen with puffy cheek: When should I be concerned?

[hanzhog]

Hi all,

Recently I've noticed that our Andalusian hen, Andy (creative, I know), has some puffiness under her eye on the left side of her face. Thus far she doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, she's eating and drinking and going about her business as per usual, but obviously if this is the start of something serious I want to know sooner than later. It's been this way for nearly a month now with no change for better or worse. I believe she's around four or five years old, if that helps.

The only other peculiar thing about her is that she's grown a rooster spur which is now a good inch and a half long, and although I can't imagine that the two phenomenon are related, I thought it was worth mentioning just in case they are!

So, is there anything I should be looking out for specifically regarding her cheek or should I just take her to the vet now before there IS something else going on, or...???

 

[AmyJane725]

It would be good to take some pics of her face and post them here.

As far as the spur, I think a lot of people have a hen that grows one spur, or even two. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi all,

Recently I've noticed that our Andalusian hen, Andy (creative, I know), has some puffiness under her eye on the left side of her face. Thus far she doesn't seem to have any other symptoms, she's eating and drinking and going about her business as per usual, but obviously if this is the start of something serious I want to know sooner than later. It's been this way for nearly a month now with no change for better or worse. I believe she's around four or five years old, if that helps.

The only other peculiar thing about her is that she's grown a rooster spur which is now a good inch and a half long, and although I can't imagine that the two phenomenon are related, I thought it was worth mentioning just in case they are!

So, is there anything I should be looking out for specifically regarding her cheek or should I just take her to the vet now before there IS something else going on, or...???

Hi @hanzhog Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your hen and the puffy eye?
Is there discharge or pus in the eye?

It's not uncommon for hens to have spurs, so I wouldn't think it would be related to the eye.

 

[hanzhog]

Here we go- sorry I couldn't post the pics at first, the chickens are at my mom's place (I'm a college student) and I've been away recently so I had to ask my mom to take them. First pic is Andy's bad cheek, second is her bad cheek next to our GLW for comparison and better lighting, last is her good side/ what she usually looks like.

 

[hanzhog]

Here we go- sorry I couldn't post the pics at first, the chicken's are at my mom's place (I'm a college student) and I've been away recently so I had to ask my mom to take them. First pic is Andy's bad cheek, second is her bad cheek next to our GLW for comparison and better lighting, last is her good side/ what she usually looks like.

P.S., There's no discharge or anything and the redness and puffiness seems not to be effecting her eye- at the moment.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here we go- sorry I couldn't post the pics at first, the chickens are at my mom's place (I'm a college student) and I've been away recently so I had to ask my mom to take them. First pic is Andy's bad cheek, second is her bad cheek next to our GLW for comparison and better lighting, last is her good side/ what she usually looks like.

P.S., There's no discharge or anything and the redness and puffiness seems not to be effecting her eye- at the moment.

Thank you for the photos.
It's been like that for a month?
Is the swelling hard or soft?
Any lesions, canker or yellowish plaques inside the beak?

If you have a vet that can take a look at that it would be good.
It could be a cyst, abscess or cancer. It's hard to know. A vet might lance it to see what's inside - if it's infection or something else.

 

[hanzhog]

Thank you for the photos.
It's been like that for a month?
Is the swelling hard or soft?
Any lesions, canker or yellowish plaques inside the beak?

If you have a vet that can take a look at that it would be good.
It could be a cyst, abscess or cancer. It's hard to know. A vet might lance it to see what's inside - if it's infection or something else.

A month or thereabouts- I didn't think much of it at first so I'm not sure of the exact date of onset.... When next I go back to my mom's place I'll help catch Andy and give her an up-close look and will report back with any new info and take her to the vet depending on what we see or if it gets worse. It seems less puffed-up today interestingly enough, see attached pic.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A month or thereabouts- I didn't think much of it at first so I'm not sure of the exact date of onset.... When next I go back to my mom's place I'll help catch Andy and give her an up-close look and will report back with any new info and take her to the vet depending on what we see or if it gets worse. It seems less puffed-up today interestingly enough, see attached pic.

I would still look inside the beak for any lesions, plaques or canker too.

Keep us posted.

 

[hanzhog]

I would still look inside the beak for any lesions, plaques or canker too.

Keep us posted.

Right right, I mean to include that in the "up-close look". Believe me, I'm very thorough when it comes to worrying about things, especially my pets

 

[ShannonR]

Maybe she got something stuck on the inside of her mouth. A sticker or something sharp that is stuck in her cheek.