Swollen lump near ear !

[Troppo Chick]

Hi everyone! This is Galadriel - she has just started laying. We have just had a few days of hot hot weather and it followed with a couple of days of heavy rain. This lump has come up over night! It's hot to touch. She is eating and drinking normally at the moment and very active. It doesn't seem to be bothering her at the moment. She's not shaking her head, checked for mites. Does anyone have any ideas? Does she need to be separated? Thankyou all in advance. I did Google but like my BYCers input also

 

[ChickyChickens]

Hi everyone! This is Galadriel - she has just started laying. We have just had a few days of hot hot weather and it followed with a couple of days of heavy rain. This lump has come up over night! It's hot to touch. She is eating and drinking normally at the moment and very active. It doesn't seem to be bothering her at the moment. She's not shaking her head, checked for mites. Does anyone have any ideas? Does she need to be separated? Thankyou all in advance. I did Google but like my BYCers input also

Did you find anything on Google?? SOrry, but i cant help you...but in my opinion i wouldnt seperate her...it doesnt look "bad"!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Others might say different though!!

 

[KayTee]

That is a classic sign of an ear infection, especially if it is hot to the touch. It doesn't look too big, and it isn't affecting her yet, so you have caught it quite early, but unless it goes down on its own within 24 hours then you probably need to start treating it. If she has no other symptoms (sneezing, runny nose etc) then she doesn't need to be separated from the others.


Dawg53 has posted good information for how to clean out gunked up and blocked ears:

lay your rooster on his side and snugly wrap a towel around him, and lay him on one side on a table. Use an eyedropperful of hydrogen peroxide to loosen and boil up gunk/debris in his ear. Then use a q-tip to slowly and gently clean out his ear. You will have remove some of the cotton on the tip of the q-tip in order for it to fit inside his ear canal. Do NOT put the q-tip deep into the ear canal. The hydrogen peroxide will have released and lifted most of the gunk making it easy for you to swab the ear canal. Use as many q-tips as necessary to clean the ear canal. Next, use Neosporin ointment to fill the ear canal, simply put the tip of the tube into the ear canal and squeeze it until the ear canal is filled with the ointment. Then flip him over and get to work on his other ear, same procedure. If ear mites are involved, the Neosporin ointment will smother them to death. Once you release your rooster, he might shake his head for awhile, this is normal. You will most likely have to repeat the ear cleaning 2 or 3 times a year. You can give him tylan 50 injectable orally; 1/2cc once a day for 5 days but no more than 7 days.


Also have a look at this thread for some treatment ideas:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/442777/hen-with-ear-infection

 

[Troppo Chick]

Thanks KayTee!!!! Sooo much appreciated! ))))

 

[KayTee]

That's what BYC is all about, Troppo Chick

Let us know how things go for your girl - every case is a bit different, and all the information that we post about our girls and boys goes to help someone else going through their own problems with their flock. Something that you do may be the one thing that someone else never thought of, and could make a great deal of difference to their chicken.

Positive thoughts are winging their way halfway across the world to you and your girl

Edited to take account of the distance between France and Oz

 

[Troppo Chick]

Day 2 I have checked her ear. Trimmed down feathers for better vision but there seems to be no gunk or anything presenting itself! The lump is getting bigger and it's still warm? Do I need to squeeze or push the gunk up towards the ear? Have put massaged the lump and put a bit of vinegar water solution in the ear. Pic attached!

Different view

 

[Eggcessive]

I would follow the instructions in post #4, and use hydrogen peroxide, Q-Tips, and antibiotic ointment. I would also try to get some antibiotic such as amoxicillin, sulfa drugs, or similar from the vet to treat the infection.

 

[JanetMarie]

I would definately put an antibiotic in the ear now, and not wait for it to get better. It probably will not. A natural antibiotic is grapefruit seed extract, if interested.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have to disagree about the antibiotics for an ear infection. If not treated, and ear infection can spread to the sinuses and brain eventually. Respiratory infections may also cause ear infections. With something this close to the brain I would not hesitate to use antibiotics. Although some ear swelling can be from tumors, most are infections. Take a look at these links, and especially the last one for what can happen when left untreated:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/831156/really-nasty-ear-infection-in-a-silkie-hen-graphic-pics
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-lobe-possible-mareks-tumour-or-an-infection
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-large-hard-mass-growing-behind-his-ear-photo