Rooster with clogged nostril?

[bantychicken]

My 5 year old Bantam Rooster, Penguin, developed a clogged nostril while I was away for a week. I have no idea how this happened or what it is. I’ve never had this problem before. Other then his clogged nostril, he’s eating, drinking, and going about life as if nothing is going on. On Facebook, I was told it looked like a canker. I was told to make a poltice with copper sulfate and olive oil. But I’m not sure if it’s a canker. And two more experienced poultry people both agreed it looks like a Rhinolith. I was recommended by them to put some mineral oil on it to try to loosen the nasty stuff and pop it out and then do a topical for fungus and separate him for a few days in a clean area to prevent secondary infections. I tried cleaning it with warm water and a tooth pick and clean around the general area (picture of cleaned beak attached as well as pictures before cleaning). Yellow nasty chunks came out of what I got (picture included). Penguin eventually got impatient and I didn’t press any further. I didn’t want to stress him out and I wasn’t sure what I’m dealing with. What is this? How can I treat it? We put mineral oil on it yesterday for 15-20 minutes to help loosen it up but I didn’t mess with it further because we already stressed him out a good bit. I have a vet nearby that will help if needed.

 

[azygous]

Most of the things I get from guessing should respond to Blu-kote, an anti-fungal/antibiotic topical skin lotion. The other thing it might be is scaly face mites. To combat those little rascals, Vaseline or an antibiotic ointment with a petroleum jelly base, dabbed on after the Blu-kote dries will cover that angle.

I apply Blu-kote with a Q-tip and be prepared for the roo to shake his head after you apply it, getting Blu-kote everywhere, including on you. Wear something old that you don't mind getting stained.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Some of what you dug out looks like it could be feed.

Chickens can get their nares plugged from many things - something as simple as dirt/food to mucous from illness or something like canker.

If he were mine, I would take some q tips wetted with peroxide, apply those, then work more of that gunk out. Use an orange stick (what people use for minicures) or a plastic dental floss stick. You may need to repeat soakings/removal over several days.

While you are working on him, look inside his beak for any signs of canker, plaques or lesions. It's possible it could be sinus canker, but you would likely have been complaining about a terrible smell and he would also have some facial swelling. Look in the chonal slit as well http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1074036/sinus-infections

 

[bantychicken]

Some of what you dug out looks like it could be feed.

That would make sense. It’s been very wet here due to the hurricane coming up the east coast and it’s difficult to keep their feed dry when I put it out for them. I’ll be looking in his mouth today for anything but I didn’t smell anything bad and I wouldn’t think after a week he’d still be eating a drinking normally if a canker was growing in his mouth. I’m very hesitant to try and just “pop” the thing off because I can’t tell where his nostril is or if the swelling is part of his skin. I can’t find any videos on removing a Rhinolith from chickens ANYWHERE.

 

[chicken4prez]

My hen has the exact same thing. :-/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That would make sense. It’s been very wet here due to the hurricane coming up the east coast and it’s difficult to keep their feed dry when I put it out for them. I’ll be looking in his mouth today for anything but I didn’t smell anything bad and I wouldn’t think after a week he’d still be eating a drinking normally if a canker was growing in his mouth. I’m very hesitant to try and just “pop” the thing off because I can’t tell where his nostril is or if the swelling is part of his skin. I can’t find any videos on removing a Rhinolith from chickens ANYWHERE.

I would just try to soak it daily and work on getting it out.

I do feed wet food on purpose (wet mash), but if the food is getting rained on, then it may be a good idea to move it to a drier place OR only put out what they eat in a day, that way it does not get moldy or rancid - then you will have another set of problems to deal with.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My hen has the exact same thing. :-/

Wait... @chicken4prez is this the same hen you have a thread about now? The one that is not doing well at all? Does she have clogged nostrils and/or canker lesions inside the beak?

 

[bantychicken]

I would just try to soak it daily and work on getting it out.

I do feed wet food on purpose (wet mash), but if the food is getting rained on, then it may be a good idea to move it to a drier place OR only put out what they eat in a day, that way it does not get moldy or rancid - then you will have another set of problems to deal with.

I’ll be giving them a small dish of food inside their coop until the weather gets better. I’ll work on soaking it with peroxide and mineral oil and work at it in sessions. Thank you for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

These clogged nostril threads have become frequent on BYC over the years, and many may be the result of feed or mucus getting stuck as Wyorp Rock stated. Hydrogen peroxide is good to soften those things which can become like concrete. Soapy warm water may also help, but either one needs several minutes to soften, and a tool to use. Care has to be taken to not damage the nares. Toothpicks, paperclips, manicure sticks, and even feather shafts found lying around may be helpful, but just be careful not to damage the beak. Also repeated sessions may be needed to get it all cleaned. Here is an article that gets to the point:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PluggedNare/PluggedNare.html

 

[bantychicken]

These clogged nostril threads have become frequent on BYC over the years, and many may be the result of feed or mucus getting stuck as Wyorp Rock stated. Hydrogen peroxide is good to soften those things which can become like concrete. Soapy warm water may also help, but either one needs several minutes to soften, and a tool to use. Care has to be taken to not damage the nares. Toothpicks, paperclips, manicure sticks, and even feather shafts found lying around may be helpful, but just be careful not to damage the beak. Also repeated sessions may be needed to get it all cleaned. Here is an article that gets to the point:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PluggedNare/PluggedNare.html

I’ll definitely be doing it in sessions with toothpicks. Penguin will let me know when he’s had enough of my picking. He’s a good boy. When I cleaned it the other day, he sat still for 10 minutes before he let me know he had enough. I’ve been through so much with him I can’t lose him now. His health is my priority.