Subcutaneous knot with scab

[Slotred]

One of my four Australorp hens, who is otherwise very healthy, has an olive-sized knot just under the bottom of her breastbone. A scab has developed, and it is oozing around the edges. Some feathers in the area have been pulled out, I assume by her pecking at the sore. Any ideas about what I can do? She is a one-year-old hen who has a very sanitary coop & run, and she is allowed to forage outside for at least an hour every day.The other three hens are perfectly healthy.

 

[feathers_3]

I would just clean around the sore and get the ooze off. You can use a little peroxide to bubble out the dirt from the sore. Just be sure to dilute it with some water. Add just a little more water than peroxide. Then pat it dry with some gauze or paper towel. It may be from a predator she got away from or may have somehow scraped herself. You could also put some antibiotic ointment around the scab edges. Hope this helps!!

 

[Slotred]

Thanks very much. I don't know what kind of predator could have gotten to her. My coop & run are just a little more secure than Fort Knox, but perhaps a spider could have bitten her while she was foraging. The knot is rather large for a bite, but I'll try the peroxide and some polysporin.

 

[feathers_3]

I'm not sure where you live but here in eastern NC snakes are beginning to come out. Just a thought. I had a young hen who got bit by my dog (who dug under my buried fence) last year and I really thought she was going to die, but I kept the wound clean and dry and she was walking again in 2 days. You could try a bit of crushed asprin in her water if she seems like she is in pain. Good Luck!!!!

 

[Slotred]

Thanks for the excellent advice.