Very Swollen comb

[Highlander]

Oh poor girl, that looks horrible. I rescued a bunch of ex batts a couple of months ago. They looked dreadful, but they had nothing like that. I hope things improve for her.

And well done to you for taking her on. Feels good, doesn't it?

 

[eyupchook]

Quote:
I have brought her home under Jo's guidance. AS you can see if you look at the pictures this is not a large comb like a floppy hat some of the hens have but a very swollen comb. If you click the pictures they do enlarge so you can see properly. I thought perhaps I could get some advice on here first but Amy will be going to Little Hen's vets asap.

 

[eyupchook]

Quote:
no diahorrea or any other symptoms. She's just as perky as any other hen in the first days after a rescue. We assumed she's been pecked and it was infected with pus but it doesn't seem to be the case.
If only she could go to the vets and have the whole comb removed but then I'd worry how she would regulate her temperature.

 

[MoodyChicken]

That is not normal AT ALL! High Production layer hens get large combs, but not like that. The comb will always be hot to some extent as the bird uses it to cool itself off by pumping hot blood to the comb which causes heat to be released to the atmosphere. Compare the temp of her comb to another bird. If she is noticeably hotter, than something is wrong. Also, a swollen comb like that is symptomatic of a few serious respiratory diseases (can't remember which off the top of my head, but I think Laryngo, Coryza, and IB cause swelling like that). Is she have any trouble breathing? Nasal discharge, watery eyes, wheezing, coughing, gagging, etc? I'd isolate her immediately. You could have potentially introduced a serious disease into your flock.

 

[eyupchook]

Quote:
Bald birds with large pale floppy crops are common from Battery Farms. The crops are larger due to the heat in the farm cages so they can cool down.
Amy has the swollen comb but her wattles aren't swollen. Hers is not normal at all. I think I need a 160 mile round trip to a poultry friendly vet who deals with the hens for the rescue. It's difficult finding local poultry specialising vets as living in a rural area, hens are treated purely as a commercial item and the farmers just want to wring their necks.

I have a bird that came out a cage last weekend, totally bald except on her head. It's disgraceful. Hopefully I can show the link of her that I uploaded to youtube

- Video of Tiny

 

[eyupchook]

Amy's swelling seems to have gone down a little. She is still on her anti biotics. It's still hot but not as swollen as it was initially. She is still perky and behaving normally and her wattles never swelled so we hope that things are looking up for her.

 

[sammi]

hope that the poor little girl does get better quick..

that pic of the other hen (bald) is appalling..
she looks so pitiful.
so sad.

I hope you're able to help her.

 

[Emmanuel89]

Swollen chicken, any ideas ?
Hi, my chicken has looked bloated for 2 days now, she is not eating much and not drinking she is lethargic and lies in a quiet spot and tends to spread out her wings for balance. Yesterday I gave her a spoonful of olive oil, thinking she might be egg bound, eyes bright, crop too. as advised by my 'book' I brought her inside and held her vent over some steam and massaged it with olive oil. She is in a box in a warm place and is breathing quite heavily. The rest of my chickens are healthy, they all get fresh water with added garlic, pondeuse ( food that has all the necessary vitamins ) soaked grain and bread and green vegetables, toms etc. Because here in France we are still in winter, there is not much grass in their compound. She also has not laid any eggs for a few days. Has anyone any ideas what it could be ?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,
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[sealsandwich]

I have never seen anything like this in my life. The picture of Tiny makes my heart absolutely break. I am as far from an animal rights activist as a person can be, but I have to admit that this is just horrifying.

May the Lord bless each of you dealing with rescuing these gals.

 

[sammi]

Emmanuel9...it's always better to start your own thread so more people will see it and post.

check the crop..
the crop is little sac that holds the food until it goes to the gullet.
it's near the bottom of the neck, on top of the breast, slightly to the hen's right.

best way to check is to check at roost time after they've been eating all day..it should feel full..if it isn't she's not eating.
if full..re-check in the morning before she eats..it should feel empty or flat.
I like to get behind the hen and cup the crop and feel with my fingers.
check for any lump, or grainy feeling..or any sour smell..
compare how the crop feel to other hens..soft and squishy..like a water balloon..etc..

describe the droppings..color and consistency.
has she ever been wormed?

what all do you feed?

does she have any other symptoms, such as wet eyes or wheezing, or any mucus from eyes or beak.