Sick chicken with dislodged tongue and obstruction

[Chicka and Co]

Please help! I have a bantam Leghorn hen that seems to have some sort of obstruction in her mouth/throat. Consequently, her tongue has been dislodged from it's normal place and is now more to one side.

I only just noticed this all today but she's been unwell for a couple of days now and she's lost a lot of weight because she can't eat. I don't know if she's drinking water or not and her poos are runny and pure white. I'm moving her to the house now.

Does anyone know what this is???

Anyway, it might be too late because she's a very old hen (7+ years old) but is there anything I can do for her? I was thinking of holding her beak open and using tweezers to try and pull the gunk out ... and then giving her water with apple cider vinegar ... but I don't know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[andreanar]

Is the gunk in her throat a growth? If it is not a growth, I would try to pull it out...Gently and slowly. I'm not an expert and have never dealt with this, so I can only tell you what I would do. Good luck and pls update.

 

[chickens really]

Possibly gape worm?.....

 

[Eggcessive]

Canker, a protozoan growth, is common in birds and poultry, and can be present in the mouth and throat, and can potentially block the airway. A vet could help, but the drug metronidazole (FishZole, Flagyl, API General Cure) is used to treat canker.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you look inside her beak and take a picture while someone holds her. Canker sometimes can look like wet fowl pox as a cheesy growth. Here is some info on canker which is carried by pigeons and doves:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/154/trichomoniasis-canker-frounce/

Canker as evidenced by a cheesy growth in the mouth of many bird species

 

[Chicka and Co]

Can you look inside her beak and take a picture while someone holds her. Canker sometimes can look like wet fowl pox as a cheesy growth. Here is some info on canker which is carried by pigeons and doves:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/154/trichomoniasis-canker-frounce/

Canker as evidenced by a cheesy growth in the mouth of many bird species

This is EXACTLY what it looks like. Thank you so much!

I'll hopefully commence the metronidazole tomorrow morning (if I can buy some) and also put garlic in the flock's waterers ... is there any point in trying to remove the growths from her mouth?

 

[Eggcessive]

I have never treated it, but any growth that is partially blocking her throat may need to be removed to help her breathe. Canker apparently can grow quickly, so I would be tempted. Check your local pet stores (Petco, Petsmart,ect) for the API General Cure, but make sure the ingredients include metronidazole. Online stores have good prices on Fish Zole 250 mg tablets. Many use 250 mg split in half, with 1/2 given in morning and 1/2 in the evening.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I have never treated it, but any growth that is partially blocking her throat may need to be removed to help her breathe. Canker apparently can grow quickly, so I would be tempted. Check your local pet stores (Petco, Petsmart,ect) for the API General Cure, but make sure the ingredients include metronidazole. Online stores have good prices on Fish Zole 250 mg tablets. Many use 250 mg split in half, with 1/2 given in morning and 1/2 in the evening.

Those are excellent links you posted. FYI from the first one:
"Removal of affected tissue from the chicken's mouth or throat is not recommended unless in cases where the bird can't breath or swallow, as it promotes invasion by pathogens leading to secondary bacterial infections."