Wasp sting on rooster???

[Robinsong]

My 4 month old, very sweet rooster apparently got stung by a wasp or something. I can't see any marks on him. I picked him up and held him and noticed he was mouth breathing and it sounds like snoring. His face, head, neck and chest are swollen! I came in and read some posts about giving him 1/2ml children's Benedryl and he took it okay. He went off to the side of the coop and lay down.
Is there anything else I can do for him?
Posting pics:

Even his chest is swollen:

It feels like he has a water balloon under his feathers.

From the back you can see how bad his neck looks:


Any suggestions would be appreciated! I don't want to lose my (big) little fellow. He's always had a floppy comb, not related to his sting. I only noticed this an hour ago and haven't seen him eating or drinking in that short time. He was walking around and shaking his head. I'm sure he's very uncomfortable!
Thanks, Cynthia

 

[cafarmgirl]

Do you have access to an avian vet? The Benedryl may not be strong enough or fast acting enough to control the swelling. I would suspect he might need an injection of a fast acting anti-inflammatory like Prednisone or Cortisone, not even sure if those are used in birds. The danger here of course is that he could loose his airway due to the swelling, especially if you can hear distressed breathing now. If a vet is not a possibility then you will just have to see how he does with the Benedryl and repeat the dose as needed. Good luck with him, hope he pulls through.

 

[Robinsong]

Thanks, California Farm Girl.
Sparrow, our young Barred Rock roo, seems to have responded well to the antihistamine. After giving him his meds he will NOT let me near him - ha - but I can see he's no longer mouth breathing and he's walking around. He does not look like he's dying, in fact he looks to be recovering so I'm very hopeful.
I appreciate your fast response, I tried calling local vets but out in the country in north Alabama there aren't a lot of vets around, especially on Saturday afternoons.
This is my first flock and I've raised the 8 of them since 1 day old and I'm very inexperienced and very much attached to them, especially this little fellow.
I'll make a post in the morning!
Cynthia

 

[Robinsong]

It took a week but Sparrow, my roo, is recovering! I had to give him injectable steroid and hand feed him, plus force fluids for 3 days but he made it! Even when his swelling was the worst and his breathing was very labored his eyes remained clear and bright so he never seemed 'sick', just hurt! I don't know what got him but it was bad. Now he's back with his girls and they seem really glad to see him. We love him!

 

[centrarchid]

Darn it, bird was / is cropbound. Wrong treatment that could have resulted in complications.