Swollen face

[ND Sue]

Hi,
I have a 3 year old hen with a swelling on one side of her face. She has had it for 2 months and no other chickens have gotten, it, so I don';t believe it is contagious. She acts fine, eats, drinks fine, runs around and in no way appears sick at all.

The side of her face is hard as a rock. Has anyone else had this?

 

[newchicks5]

i just seen one of mine has swellen
face to,what doesit look like.

 

[Eggcessive]

NDSue, did you treat her with antibiotics when it started 2 months ago? It may be a tumor, but pus from respiratory infections can harden into a solid mass, and sometimes have to be removed. I've never done that before. Newchicks5, you may be dealing with a respiratory disease, since the face can swell from sinus infections from MG/CRD, ILT, Coryza and others . Here is a list of common diseases that you can read about: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044 You might want to start your own new thread for more help.

 

[newchicks5]

a wattle swellen.

 

[ND Sue]

Thanks for your reply. I did treat it, but not always consistently. Is it very common to give IM antibiotics in chickens? That may work better. I should take another picture, because it is actually bigger now and her eye is more shut. I haven't seen any pus form her nose or mouth, but have from her eye, I'm thinking more so because it is almost always shut and hard for her to blink. Hmmm... do tumors of the face happen very often in chickens?

 

[Eggcessive]

Pus in chickens turns into a solid mass--a cheese-like consistency. Have you ever pulled out the core in bumblefoot? Once it swells up like that around the sinuses, I have read where it may have to be removed through lancing or cutting. I haven't treated that before, but the longer the pus is there, the more solid it gets. Tylan50 is best given in a shot to the breast muscle for 3-5 days. Dosage is 1/4 ml for bantams, 1/2 ml for under 5 lb, and 1 ml for over 5 lb. None of your other hens may have it, but it is probably contagious. They may just be carriers because MG/CRD or coryza is never cured--the symptoms may go away, but will probably come back.