Please help! Canker

[Abriana]

I have a hen who was panting and i noticed a small, round yellow spot in her beak on one side next to her tounge with teeny raised spot in the middle. I think it is canker. It can be caused by pigeons which i have, two living in my barn that often visit my coop for feed. Any ideas for getting them to move? Canker is a bunch of yellow or white sores that move down the throat and eventually suffocate the chicken. I am really concerned. I read that the bacteria will be killed by even mildly acidic things, like vinegar which i will be mixing in their water tomorrow. I am also going to use a q-tip to swab vinegar on it. i am going to mix acidified copper sulfate to their water three days a month to prevent further infection. This is one of my favorite hens, i don't want to lose her. does anyone know any other cures? Has anyone had an issue with this and had the hen survive? I caught it very early. My chicken health book says that the sores begin at the back of the mouth but this is closer to the front. So here's what i need: more cures, anyone to tell me if they have had a hen with this that survived, if the fact that i caught it early will help. I'm really really worried. Please help me.

 

[Eggcessive]

You might want to take her to a vet familiar with birds or chickens. Canker, a protozoan infection, can cause lesions in the mouth and airway that can potentially block the ability to breathe if they grow too big. Metronidazole is one of several medicines that treat canker. You might want to Google "canker in pigeons" for some links to online stores for medicines. Fish Zole and Flagyl are other names for metronidazole.

 

[Abriana]

I read that metronidazole works as well as thyme, which is what i think i will be giving her. Thank you for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not familiar with using thyme to treat canker, nor have I treated canker. Most pigeons can be infected with it, and it can be spread to chickens. I would probably use one of the drugs recommended by poultry sites, where proper dosages can be calculated. Ronidazole is another drug used by some and available online as well as metronidazole. Canker is extremely contagious, and waterers and feeders should be disinfected. Some recommend removing infected birds from flocks.