Hen's earlobe is swollen from tick. What should I do?

[Penny Pacific]

Hi,
One of my bantam hens hasn't looked like she was feeling the best today. This evening I picked her up and looked at her more closely. Her earlobe is really swollen. Right beside her swollen earlobe was a big tick. I am assuming that that is what caused the swelling. I pulled the tick off and put some comfrey salve called herbal savvy on the earlobe. I didn't know what else to do. I also noticed that she has mites. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am hoping the swelling will go down now that the tick is gone, but what if there is a bad infection there and it gets worse? I hope her earlobe doesn't pop. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thank you!

 

[Granolamom]

Are you into homeopathy at all? I had the same exact problem a few months ago, when we had a weird warm spell here in Georgia, and one of my hens ended up with a tick right above her eye. I separated her, removed the tick, and then disinfected the area, which bled like crazy. I gave her Ledum as a homeopathic treatment (usually used for puncture wounds), and she had a complete turnaround during the night. The next day, the swelling had gone down, and I let her get back with the flock. Ledum can be used for humans with tick bites, as well (have used it on my kids in the past). You can get it at most healthfood stores (30C potency), and chickens take it well, because it's a little pellet. If she won't take it, you can also mix it with water (just stir with a plastic spoon, until dissolved, and then put it in her water).

 

[Penny Pacific]

Thanks for the suggestion. I accually work at a health food store and am trying to learn more about different remedies. I will have to see if we have some Ledum there. Thanks again!

 

[Granolamom]

Quote:
Good for you! If they don't have it, I'm sure they can order some (from Boiron, for example). It's a really good remedy to keep on hand, along with Aconite, for illnesses that come on suddenly. Also, Rescue Remedy is a really good one to have for chickens (and people), because they tend to get stressed out over so many things (new housing, predators, etc).
How's your hen doing today, did the swelling go down at all?

 

[Penny Pacific]

I found the Ledum at our store but decided to wait another day and try mixing some goldenseal powder with the herbal salve I had used. I probebly should not have waited because prolonging the treatment might have made it harder to get rid of the swelling or infection if it settled in. The next day her earlobe was still swollen and her skin right below her beak (she is Ameraucana so does not have wattles) also seemed a little swollen. I got some Ledum and gave it to her that night before she went to sleep. The next day (yesterday) she was still swollen so I gave her another tablet last night, and tonight I gave her another. I'm not sure though that the swelling is really from the tick bite, although from reading other posts on this forum, tick bites can cause swelling, and my hen's tick was right beside the earlobe that was swollen.

Yesterday I saw that my bantam rooster also had a swollen earlobe. I checked him for ticks but found none. His is more swollen than the hen's. (Maybe because I haven't done anything for him). I don't know if I should give him Ledum because I don't know what is causing his swelling.

Also my supervisor at the Health Food Store said that the homeopathic medications should not be taken with food and water so it is hard for me to give it to the rooster because he likes to roost up in a tree and I can't get to him in the evening after he has finished eating for the day. (I have been desolving the tablet in water for the hen, though, because it is hard for her to pick it up from a plastic surface. It is so smooth, it keeps slipping away from her when she tries. My supervisor says that the homeopathic tablets should not be touched because they can lose their effectiveness, so I don't give it to her with my hand.)

Thanks, Granolamom, for the other suggestions of Rescue Remedy. We have that at our store, too. I'm glad to know about these things to give to chickens. Do you ever use tea tree oil for chickens? I used it on a sore for one of my chickens once, but then read that it could be harmful for small pets. I was afraid to use it on my chickens after that. Too bad, because it is such a good cleanser.

 

[mediazeal]

now why the heck would the tick get a chance to bite her before she ate him?
There are ticks in my yard (yuck) and I am hoping the chickens will get rid of them.
(currently incubating my first chicks)