Swollen, infected ear lobe

[Shezadandy]

THANK YOU! Is it normal that I will have a hard time pulling it out? It seemed like it was attached somewhere in there and I really would’ve had to use force to remove it which I felt uncomfortable with because I didn’t want to cause her pain. What type of antibiotic should I put her on once it’s out?

I would definitely do it ASAP -- if you have Vetricyn or can get some, I would spray everything with Vetricyn before extraction and after - and maybe to help lubricate/soften things up, put a small amount of Neosporin (original, no pain relief) in and around it before you start picking at it.

Agree with wrapping her in a towel - do you have a good sharp pair of tweezers? That might get the 'party started' without too much blunt force to this nastiness, i.e. pulling instead of squeezing to begin. I would aim for the black part first with the tweezers - it might even kind of be an encapsulated ball of ick that will come out with a good tweezer pull. Then once you're down to the pus stuff, have some q-tips (would soak in Vetricyn or betadine) available to help debride the remaining area.

Just remember to make sure she can breathe at all times when dealing with spraying liquids and of course when you're working to extract!

If you can isolate her in eyesight of the flock, I would spray with Vetricyn then coat with Neosporin after it's all cleaned out. Guessing once it's removed it will heal up pretty quick. I would wait on the oral or injected antibiotics- unless you find after the icky part is removed that there's a deeper infection.

 

[SpeckledCoopQueen]

I would definitely do it ASAP -- if you have Vetricyn or can get some, I would spray everything with Vetricyn before extraction and after - and maybe to help lubricate/soften things up, put a small amount of Neosporin (original, no pain relief) in and around it before you start picking at it.

Agree with wrapping her in a towel - do you have a good sharp pair of tweezers? That might get the 'party started' without too much blunt force to this nastiness, i.e. pulling instead of squeezing to begin. I would aim for the black part first with the tweezers - it might even kind of be an encapsulated ball of ick that will come out with a good tweezer pull. Then once you're down to the pus stuff, have some q-tips (would soak in Vetricyn or betadine) available to help debride the remaining area.

Just remember to make sure she can breathe at all times when dealing with spraying liquids and of course when you're working to extract!

If you can isolate her in eyesight of the flock, I would spray with Vetricyn then coat with Neosporin after it's all cleaned out. Guessing once it's removed it will heal up pretty quick. I would wait on the oral or injected antibiotics- unless you find after the icky part is removed that there's a deeper infection.

I rolled out of bed and headed out to the coop and I removed as much as I could, it did not come out in one piece. I was only getting little strands and some of the white was really attached to the skin. I cleaned after with Veterycin and packed it with the silver sulfadiazine. Hopefully it’ll soften up what’s in there still left in the morning and I’ll try to get the rest out. I will have her in a separate coop tomorrow and until rhebhoke is closed. The black skin is not completely black all the way through so I didn’t pick that off. She was such a trooper and barley fought me. I have her a snack and water after and put her back on the roost. Hopefully things look up from here. The hole is pretty big now.

 

[Shezadandy]

I rolled out of bed and headed out to the coop and I removed as much as I could, it did not come out in one piece. I was only getting little strands and some of the white was really attached to the skin. I cleaned after with Veterycin and packed it with the silver sulfadiazine. Hopefully it’ll soften up what’s in there still left in the morning and I’ll try to get the rest out. I will have her in a separate coop tomorrow and until rhebhoke is closed. The black skin is not completely black all the way through so I didn’t pick that off. She was such a trooper and barley fought me. I have her a snack and water after and put her back on the roost. Hopefully things look up from here. The hole is pretty big now.

Good job!! Based on the description it seems like the tissue got shredded when the others pecked at her, whatever the original cause was. I'm really, really glad you addressed it tonight - hopefully that keeps it from festering further and it starts to go down in size overnight.

 

[SpeckledCoopQueen]

Good job!! Based on the description it seems like the tissue got shredded when the others pecked at her, whatever the original cause was. I'm really, really glad you addressed it tonight - hopefully that keeps it from festering further and it starts to go down in size overnight.

I believe the original cause was a bad bite from one of our older chickens and it just took off from there. She’s the smallest, but wants sooo badly to be up there with the big girls. Apparently she’s willing to take quite the biting to be there. I’m glad I did too, part of me just didn’t want to hurt her anymore.. but atleast I know I got almost all of it out. I’m still worried about her even though she seems quite normal! RIP to my eyebrow tweezers lol. I just ordered a kit that will be here Friday so I can get rid of anything that is left by then.

 

[slordaz]

once the bad is out they heal quite quickly, as body isn't fighting the infection so bad to, and she won't go septic on you, Job well done for your hen. Keep us updated

 

[SpeckledCoopQueen]

once the bad is out they heal quite quickly, as body isn't fighting the infection so bad to, and she won't go septic on you, Job well done for your hen. Keep us updated[/QUOTE

Thank you! I have her in a area separate from the other hens but still right next to the coop so they don’t feel as though she is gone but she can still have space to herself. I think the cream is helping. It was interesting that even with all the picking I was doing last night, there wasn’t much of any blood! Her ear lobe has a big hole in it now. Hoping it’ll go down even more so in size by the time I get home. I will watch out for bugs, don’t want any flies getting on her.

 

[SpeckledCoopQueen]

Here’s a picture of her comb. I’m wondering if this is fowl pox? I assumed that it was from being pecked by my older girls as she is new to the clan.

 

[slordaz]

Here’s a picture of her comb. I’m wondering if this is fowl pox? I assumed that it was from being pecked by my older girls as she is new to the clan.

looks more like from being pecked to me and it's dried blood, I would keep her separated for time being while treated if you can put here in like a dog kennel or partition off a space for here where the others can see her but not get at her, would be best and let her heal up. Then once healed up give her some supervised time with the flock, Chickens memory is not long term so even a day away out of site can cause pecking order to restart the only thing they to never forget is where to find the food and water and who has the treats.

 

[Shezadandy]

Here’s a picture of her comb. I’m wondering if this is fowl pox? I assumed that it was from being pecked by my older girls as she is new to the clan.

Easy way to find out: Get a bunch of q-tips and a glass of warm water. If need be, you can towel wrap her. Dunk one side of a q-tip in the warm water, then use it to swab the dark areas on the comb, repeat as necessary. If it comes up rusty brown, it's blood. It can take a while to clean up- soon enough you'll smell the blood as you clean. To soften up crusty blood, if she'll let you, a damp warm washcloth works well, then use the q-tips for scraping it off. Then I put some Vetricyn on another q-tip once it's clean and swab over any raw areas.

 

[Shezadandy]

I believe the original cause was a bad bite from one of our older chickens and it just took off from there. She’s the smallest, but wants sooo badly to be up there with the big girls. Apparently she’s willing to take quite the biting to be there. I’m glad I did too, part of me just didn’t want to hurt her anymore.. but atleast I know I got almost all of it out. I’m still worried about her even though she seems quite normal! RIP to my eyebrow tweezers lol. I just ordered a kit that will be here Friday so I can get rid of anything that is left by then.

That makes sense, especially since nothing came out in a chunk- just a lot of little shredded tissue from the original peck then more pecking then some got infected. Yes, farewell eyebrow tweezers! But, now you've got a pair of chicken tweezers instead.