Lump under Eye

[ecnewton]

My hen recently developed this lump under the left eye. She is the only one out of a flock of 8. She is acting normal, eating normally, laying normally. Advice?

 

[Eggcessive]

That could be swelling from a tumor, a peck injury that has abscessed, or from a possible respiratory disease. Do you see any signs of a sting or peck mark near the bump? is there any dirt or drainage from her nose, eye drainage, sneezing, or gasping? If not, watch it to see if it grows, and check if it is soft or firm. Here is a list of common respiratory diseases such as mycoplasma (MG) that can cause facial swelling:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[ecnewton]

Thanks for the reply. I read through that link and she has zero other symptoms minus this little cyst-looking lump. No drainage, no sneezing, eating well, etc. She is definitely #8 out of 8 hens and is pecked quite a bit during food times, etc. So perhaps it's an injury? There was a previous post about a hen losing neck feathers and also developed a lump. I got this hen from a friend who breeds chickens (and has about 50 hens all the time) and when she came to me, she was missing neck feathers. My friend said she was probably picked on in her flock. My friend said she isn't too worried about this lump (I sent her a picture) and recommended some spray that is helpful for a variety of skin issues. Brand name is Vetericyn. I may try our local feed store later. I'll keep this post updated as things go on. She laid an egg today, beautiful and green. So I'm not going to worry until she acts ill. We've lost a couple (one to the dogs... then the newest top hen decided to peck the dachshunds and they've learned to live in harmony) and two years ago lost a hen to an unknown issue. Here in Texas, we don't get too attached to our "livestock" animals.

 

[Eggcessive]

Vetericyn is really good for wounds, but the skin doesn't look broken on her face, so I would just watch it. Tumors and cysts are usually firm, while a peck abscess may feel soft. You may want to measure it today, then check it in a few days for any growth. Hopefully it will go down in a few days, but chickens can get tumors around the face and elsewhere.