My chicken is sick: face and neck swolen and both eyes closed - what can I do ? please help ?

[PierreHollander]

My chicken is 4 months old and very sleepy but still drinking water.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Does she appear to have air under her skin in her neck and face like a balloon? How does her crop or craw look and feel? It is under the neck in her right upper chest where the food and water is stored before digestion. It should have some food in it as she eats during the day, and be full at night. By the next morning it should be mostly empty. Does it feel empty or full, soft or hard, or puffy? Can you get some SaveACheck or chick electrolytes with vitamins to add to her water? How do her poops look--any diarrhea and what color? Can you offer her some bits of egg (unless her crop is full and hard?)

 

[PierreHollander]

Thank for your reply !

Just under her beak the neck is very swolen and the side of her face it is not balloon like but hard.

One eye is now open the other still closed. Her poop is white and she is not eating much but drinking water.

Could food be jammed in her throat ?

 

[Eggcessive]

The crop is down a bit from under the beak, in the right upper chest,and it can become stuffed with long grass or large pieces of food. A hard crop would indicate impacted crop. a puffy crop could be sour crop, an infection either fungal, or bacterial. if her neck is puffy (not the crop,) that could be from injury causing a leaking air sac in her neck. If her face is hard, she may have an infection in her sinus, or be swollen from an injury or abscess. Do you see any nasal or eye drainage that might be from a respiratory infection? White poop can be a sign of dehydration or kidney problems. I'm confused as to what her problem is exactly since she has different symptoms. Here is some information about crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[PierreHollander]

Thank you for your help. It is not the crop but neck and side of face very hard bulged. No visible drainage at all from eyes or nose.

 

[Eggcessive]

It the hard swelling near her ear canal? That could be a source of infection. Do you see anything that looks like a peck mark? Tumors can also cause hard swelling, but hopefully not that. Respiratory infections can cause facial swelling which are usually sinus infection. The first article below is about ear infections and how to treat them, while the second one shows a possible tumor:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/ear-infection
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/938669/swollen-head-possible-ear-infection

Photo by lonnyanddrinda chicken with possible tumor photo from Chickenwhisperer magazine of ear infection

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you give us a photo of her facing forward? Are the wattles swollen too or is it just limited to one side of the face (are both sides swollen)?

Also, is there a main source of swelling - is there a peck mark, cut, injury that could have become infected and caused the swelling? Is she rasping, having trouble breathing, sneezing, etc.?

It's hard to know if the swelling is from respiratory illness or bacterial infection. Do you notice any discharge/mucous from the nostrils or eyes, does she have any swelling or plagues inside the beak?

If you have a vet that can see her to do some testing that would be best.

As suggested in the previous posts by @Eggcessive keep her hydrated. Add some poultry vitamins or electrolytes to her water. Her crop seems to be quite full looking or it could be the angle the photo was taken. What do you feed? Chick starter only - if she has had any type of foods other than chick starter provide her with some grit and monitor the crop to see if it is emptying over the course of the day.

Keep us posted.

 

[PierreHollander]

Thanks again from down under Pierre Hollander here from South Africa