SLW has swollen area under waddles

[Julia62]

I have two SL Wyandottes that are about 29 weeks old. Neither has started laying yet. One of them has a very full or swollen area under the waddle. Is that normal? Maybe she is just maturing? Seems very healthy otherwise. It is different from the others which is why I ask. I have a white Leghorn and Golden Sex Link that are the same age and have been laying for about 6 weeks. Their "chins" look normal. My other SLW doesn't have that fullness either.

This is Tammy:

 

[casportpony]

Have you looked inside her mouth?

-Kathy

 

[Julia62]

No, I've never tried to open her mouth. These are my first chickens.

 

[casportpony]

No, I've never tried to open her mouth. These are my first chickens.

You need to catch her and check inside her mouth for hard, yellowish plaque/pus.

-Kathy

 

[Julia62]

Ok, we got her and I didn't see puss, but the lump is hard. I gave her a small piece of ground beef to see if she could eat and she took it but spit it out. I don't think she could swallow it. Now I'm scared.

 

[casportpony]

Ok, we got her and I didn't see puss, but the lump is hard. I gave her a small piece of ground beef to see if she could eat and she took it but spit it out. I don't think she could swallow it. Now I'm scared.

Can you take her to a vet?

-Kathy

 

[Julia62]

I was wondering if vets took care of chickens. I called the lady I got her from and she said it sounds like a spider bite of some sort. She is out of state right now but is giving my number to a friend that can take a look. Tammy can eat regular food and free ranges fine. She drinks water too. We held a warm wet towel on it for a few minutes, not sure if that did any good.

 

[casportpony]

I was wondering if vets took care of chickens. I called the lady I got her from and she said it sounds like a spider bite of some sort. She is out of state right now but is giving my number to a friend that can take a look. Tammy can eat regular food and free ranges fine. She drinks water too. We held a warm wet towel on it for a few minutes, not sure if that did any good.

If the swelling doesn't go down, or if she starts to lose weight, take her to a vet. Probably best to get a digital kitchen scale and get a baseline weight on her.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

http://beautyofbirds.com/recommendedbirdvetsnevada.html

Reno:

Dr. Dawn Hess, DVM - Community Animal Hospital

4871 Summit Ridge Dr., Reno, NV 89523, Tel: 775-746-0333 cahreno.com​

Dr. Mark Ditsworth, DVM - Kings Row Pet Hospital

3653 Kings Row Reno, NV 89503, Tel. 775-747-1211 krphvets.com​

Klaich Animal Hospital

1990 S. Virginia Street Reno, NV 89502, Tel. 775-826-1212 http://klaichanimalhospital.vetstreet.com/​

 

[casportpony]

I don't want to scare you, but swollen wattles *can* be a sign of this:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/61/fowl-cholera-pasteurellosis
http://www.poultryhub.org/health/disease/types-of-disease/fowl-cholera-or-pasteurellosis/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/181/fowl-cholera

It says that it's highly contagious, and only one of your's is sick, so it's probably not cholera. Again, not trying to scare you, but it might be a good idea to isolate her or see a vet. Hoping that it's just a bite!

-Kathy