Hen with swollen face... bug sting/bite or something else?

[Kris5902]

today when I let the chickens out in the morning I noticed my dominant hen has a swollen puffy face. She’s behaving normally, laid an egg yesterday, and I didn’t notice any swelling then. No wheezing, pus, or discharge. No visible wounds. She does have some pecks and broken feathers at the back of her neck from the attentions of my cockerel.

She just started laying first week of March so she hasn’t been very consistent, sometimes she takes a day on a day off, she has gone up to two days between eggs, but also had four days of an egg a day. She’s on 19% pellets, OS on the side.

Do you think it could be a bug bite of some sort? Or something else? Her right side is more swollen than the left.

 

[Kris5902]

 

[Kris5902]

Here is her not swollen sister for comparison (not laying yet)

 

[staceyj]

@casportpony
@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive

 

[Kris5902]

Also I should mention that the hazy look to her eye is all glare and poor photography related. Her eye seems perfectly fine, the sunken in look is because of the facial swelling. I don’t know why my husband cannot take clear pics of my chickens with my phone...

 

[Trux]

gonna follow this one...do you got a lot of bees flying around recently. It is possible that the Roo could have ruptured a blood vessel and it is causing the swelling, but other than that thought I have no idea

 

[ChickNanny13]

Thank you for clarifying the "hazy" eye If it were only one side, I'd lean towards a bug sting but both sides Keep a close eye on her & see if it gets worst, you could rinse/sooth the eye with saline solution.

Have you felt the the area, is it hot/warm to touch?
Is she scratching?

staceyj called for some members that have experience

 

[Kris5902]

I’m not panicked, and the swelling is far larger on the one side... so I’m personally hoping a sting or bite, but I would like more experienced opinions. There actually was a bumble bee sitting on the frame of the person door when I went back out to take the pics. I’ve got (better not jinx it again by saying this!) decent weather here, it’s been 8-12* Celsius lows at night lately, and yesterday and today were particularly nice. I noticed it first thing in the morning 7:30 am, pics happened closer to noon, she’s still swollen, and I can’t tell if it’s starting to go down or not yet it looks about the same as the pics now.

 

[Kris5902]

Have you felt the the area, is it hot/warm to touch?
Is she scratching?

staceyj called for some members that have experience

It’s puffy and swollen, not hard or squishy like an abscess. I didn’t notice any heat, but when touching it she reacted strongly, like it was causing her pain.

 

[Kris5902]

All the broken feathers/little scabs are in this area here where he’s been grabbing her with his beak, she usually gets mated maybe twice a day, and before I separated all my cockerels was hen pecking all but two of them if they tried getting frisky with her or the other girls. He’s quite gentle all things considered if not adept yet...

They’ve all been out except the one for several days now