Strange lump on ear... Newly UPDATED

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

My buff orp cockeral has a hard lump on the side of his head... What is it? What should I do?
My first thought was it was possibly an infection (he had a wound a few weeks ago from a fight he lost with an older rooster) We brought him in and tried to puncture/drain it, but we couldn't get it to pop. He seems to be acting normal, I don't think it bothers him, even when we poke it.
Any ideas?
When he gets bigger this guy is headed for freezer camp, but I still want him to be as comfortable as he can for the time being. I can't stand the idea of letting him suffer.

Sorry the pic is blurry!

 

[AZBootsie]

Chicken infections don't make regular pus that can "pop". It's like Iguana pus, a hard cheeze like lump. If it is an abscess you would need to make an incision and get it out. Search for a thread on bumblefoot. There is an excellent one that teaches you step by step with pictures how to debried a chicken abscess.

found the thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=236649

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Thanks so much!

 

[AZBootsie]

Good luck!!

If you do decide to debried, becareful it looks so close to the eye. Mabye a tiny incision near the bottom or back, away from the eye?

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

That is what I was thinking... it is basically under the skin of the entire ear lobe- which at least means no feathers in the way. I just hope I can get a knife sharp enough to make it quick. I am loathe to hurt the poor guy any more than neccessary.
I just have to keep thinking Do Not Get Attached. No matter how cute he is, we are not going to keep him around much longer...

 

[AZBootsie]

Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex :

That is what I was thinking... it is basically under the skin of the entire ear lobe- which at least means no feathers in the way. I just hope I can get a knife sharp enough to make it quick. I am loathe to hurt the poor guy any more than neccessary.
I just have to keep thinking Do Not Get Attached. No matter how cute he is, we are not going to keep him around much longer...

Ohhh gonna be hard to stay distant. I am always a sucker for the hurt ones. Hopefully you can talk someone else into processing this guy for you. Sometimes you can find disposable scalpels at the feed store. If not, one of those utility knifes from the hardware store that takes razor blades. They are really sharp. Or an exacto knife Should work well if you clean it with alcohol first.​

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Yeah... I have several box knives and a nice hand-forged knife that I could sharpen up... butthe real danger, as you said, is keeping distant. Already after the poking, proding, and pictures, he was following me around as if he knew I was trying to help and wanted to thank me be being extra nice. Dang it! Roosters shouldn't be allowed to be so cute.
Good thing my roomies take care of the first step of proccessing (mutually beneficial since the boys are squeemish about guts and I just hate hurting/killing them but don't mind any of it once they can't feel it.) Once I get them its too late to change anything, so I can deal.

 

[Pickaduck]

How's your roo doing? Did you manage to treat it? Just checking for updates!

 

[86121]

Quote:
Oh yes, updates please

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

UPDATE:
Yesterday I caught him to do the operation and his bubble had grown even large and closer to his eye. I wrapped him in a towel and cut open the bubble... it popped...it oozed...it was gross. I felt bad prodding him with tweezers looking for the chunks I was told I would find because all I saw was liquid. I neosporined him and put him to bed.

This afternoon I checked on him and the cut had practically healed up, but the bubble was back! We repeated the operation with the intention of thoroughly flushing with peroxide, but the bubble didn't pop... it just sort of bled a lot and deflated some. I don't know what the deal is. We now have him in the sick ward (a rabbit hutch facing the chicken yard) so we can monitor him. We got a powdered antibiotic to add to his water. I hope that will help. We also washed his feet so he won't as easily get germs in his wound by scratching his head.

What else can I do? What else should I do for a roo scheduled to be freezer camped as soon as his adult feather are in and he has more meat on his bones?