Horrible swollen thing coming out of my hen's mouth!

[Minerva V]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

Buff Orpington, about 6 months old, don't know how heavy - looks normal.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

Standing still, not eating or drinking, looks unhappy, ruffled feathers, no sounds

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?

Since this morning, so only one day so far.

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

No

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

Well, the swollen thing is so swollen, it is dripping with fluid and some blood.

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

I have no idea. She seemed totally fine yesterday, eating, running after other chickens, foraging, drinking, making happy sounds.

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

Plain water or water with cider vinegar, laying chicken feed, some veggie scraps

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

I haven't seen her poop today. Before today it looked okay.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

Nothing. I have no idea what to do. I only started keeping chickens about 5 months ago.

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?

I cannot afford a vet. There are no nearby vets that treat chickens anyway.

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

Wooden chicken coop. Hay bedding. Free range in daytime in our 1/3 acre backyard.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does the vet know what the mass is? How are you feeding him? I would think you would need to tube feed him until he learns how to eat. Is he eating and drinking? There was a chicken a few years ago who lost her whole beak to a dog bite injury, and she had to be tube fed until she figured out how to eat. But the mass is something I don’t know about. I would put him down if he seems to be suffering or has no hope of surviving. Here is the long thread about the hen with no beak who survived:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/plese-help-chickens-beak-got-bit-off.848424/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I really think it’s a respiratory infection that got really inflamed and caused this mass to pop out. My chicken has no beak. He lost it when he was about 3 weeks old from a skunk attack. The person that owned him gave him to me a few days ago (he’s now 10 weeks old). The vet checked him out today and gave me meds to hopefully help the infection and swelling and pain. The vet says because he’s still acting like he has a will to live then we are going to give it a shot. It looks “worse” because he has no beak…

Poor guy

Did the vet make any recommendations how to keep him hydrated and fed?
I don't know what the protrusion is from inside the beak, doubtful it has anything to do with respiratory disease, but it may be from the skunk attack.
I would consider putting him out of his misery.

 

[Minerva V]

Thanks again for the suggestions, everyone. My little chicken was dead this morning, so at least she is not suffering anymore. I just wish I knew what it was that happened to her so I could perhaps prevent it from happening to my other chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi! I posted the original pictures of the Buff Orpington with the swollen thing in her mouth. Nothing I tried worked, I never did find out why it happened, and she died the next day. None of my other hens that I have had since then have had this happen to them. I'm sorry it happened to one of yours. I wish I at least knew what it was!

I haven't seen this thread before now, but I think you may have been right about it being the inside of her throat so swollen that it came outside, and the hole may have been her trachea or airway. Benadryl liquid or a tablet dissolved in water would be the first thing I would try. I would have wondered if she had swallowed a bee or other insect. Thanks for updating your thread.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hello! My chicken is going through this now. Are you saying to just be the lump and it should go back into the mouth?

Can you post a picture of your chicken? Do you have any idea what has happened?

 

[Michael Apple]

I'd make a paste of baking soda and hot water. Apply it to the entire swollen area. Then use a clean cloth soaked in hot water and hold it on the wound for about 5 minutes to see if you can gently expel the fluid. There could be some poisons from a spider bite or other poisonous critter. I believe you have those Brown Recluse spiders in TX and they put out some nasty wounds because of the cytotoxic (tissue destroying) poisons. She may get an appetite once the swelling goes down. Meanwhile, you may have to hydrate her with vitamins-electrolytes in water from a syringe. Don't let her get dehydrated. I sure hope it helps.

 

[dawg53]

I agree with you Mike. I was thinking along the lines that she mightve swallowed a bee, maybe a small scorpion.
After Michael Apple's recommendations, and when she gets to the point that your hen is able to swallow without complications; I recommend that you give her 1/2cc children's benedryl only. Then wait 24 hours before redosing only if necessary. Do not overdose a chicken with children's benedryl.
(It almost looks like a throat prolapse)

 

[Michael Apple]

. You know I've used Benadryl on dogs before but never a chicken. I don't see why it wouldn't be helpful in the case of this chicken. Especially a children's Benadryl liquid.

 

[Suzierd]

Sorry for your loss, she was a very pretty girl.