What to know about chicken pus

[Sunshine Flock]

I never thought I'd start a discussion with that title, but here I am.

What does chicken pus look like? I found some photos on another site, but only a few. The pus was described as hard, not soft and squishy, and it was bright yellow. She removed several pieces from just under her hen's skin, not deep inside. The skin actually looked yellow because of the pus. The pus was rather thin and resembled cooked egg yolks.

Excuse me a moment while I choke and gag.

Okay, so does this description describe what pus looks like in all chickens? We have Welsummers. They have yellow toned skin, or so I thought. That's how they're described by breeders and hatcheries. For a badly injured rooster with deep wounds, what am I looking for exactly?

He has a two inch wide hole on one side. The skin is now pulling away and in a pocket below the wound is orangish padding that kind of resembles chicken fat. I'm treating with honey, so perhaps the color is due to the honey? It has absolutely NO smell whatsoever, aside from the honey.

Is smell always a giveaway for pus? Must all pus be removed, or does the body break some of it down and absorb it for removal?

Please educate me on chicken pus. Thank you!!!

 

[azygous]

A photo is always helpful. In trying to describe a wound, sometimes the words you choose aren't adequate.

What you describe could be a wound badly infected and swollen with pus. Or it could be a wound in the process of building new tissue around the edges of the wound and it can resemble a volcano with hard ridges but it's normal and healthy. Whether you remove the pus depends on the type of wound and location. For example, in bumblefoot, the pus is almost always removed in order for the wound to heal.

In the absence of a photo, the skin color around the wound would appear red and hot and swollen if infected even with a skin color of yellow. If the skin on your roo is not red, then the honey is doing a good job of keeping infection at bay. If the injury involved the removal of a large area of skin, then what you describe may be normal. If the wound was a gash or tear, then what you describe could be infection. It's hard to advise without seeing the wound.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes chicken puss is usually pale yellow and has a cheesy texture rather than gooey as we would normally expect it to be.
I would be interested to see the photos you are referring to on the other site..... can you post a link.... as I think those discs may be related to internal laying by the sound of it.... that definitely produces yellow discs.
Usually puss in chickens does not smell overly bad. The solidification of it may actually be the bodies way of trying to control the infection from spreading. I would not be overly concerned about a recent injury developing puss if you have cleaned it thoroughly, but if it was an old injury that had sealed over and possibly abscessed underneath, then that is when you would find puss or if an ear has become infected, where the infected material is from within or as suggested, bumblefoot where a small puncture wound or abrasion has introduced infection and then sealed over.
Hopefully that makes sense.

A photo of your boy's wound would definitely help.

 

[azygous]

Also, please tell us when the injury occurred. That has bearing on what stage we would expect the healing process to be in. For example, a fresh wound would appear much different than a wound at three weeks.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Thanks for the pus education. Much appreciated.

I think we're one day nine since the coyote attack.

What I'm seeing is orangish and more gelatinous and not what I've seen in photos or what you're describing. He has extensive wounds and none are red around the edges or excessively warm. The wound edges are a dark red/brown/black from healing, as you've described, and since muscle is exposed the wounds are a deep red, but not the red from infection.

My camera died earlier this year, and I can't recall if my husband's new camera has been set up for transferring photos to the computer. I do want to share some photos, so I'll see what I can do today.

Thanks for feedback.

 

[nancyrat]

Chicken puss ?? Why do I have such a hard time finding any real info on what this is and how to treat or combat it? Everything on chicken puss talks about eye injuries....ugh! I keep peeling it off and it keeps growing....and yes it looks like scrambled eggs

 

[nancyrat]

A photo is always helpful. In trying to describe a wound, sometimes the words you choose aren't adequate.

What you describe could be a wound badly infected and swollen with pus. Or it could be a wound in the process of building new tissue around the edges of the wound and it can resemble a volcano with hard ridges but it's normal and healthy. Whether you remove the pus depends on the type of wound and location. For example, in bumblefoot, the pus is almost always removed in order for the wound to heal.

In the absence of a photo, the skin color around the wound would appear red and hot and swollen if infected even with a skin color of yellow. If the skin on your roo is not red, then the honey is doing a good job of keeping infection at bay. If the injury involved the removal of a large area of skin, then what you describe may be normal. If the wound was a gash or tear, then what you describe could be infection. It's hard to advise without seeing the wound.

I'm battling the puss - I have removed it a couple times now and wonder if I'm doing the right thing? My boy had fly strike - I think he had a puncture wound underneath between his legs that I didn't know about and then the flies attacked. I noticed him acting funny and he stank....I turned him upside down and found the wound. It was full of maggots, fairly deep and large. I cleaned the wound and used tweezers to remove all the maggots I could reach. Soaked in dawn soap and Epsom salt several times, sprayed vetricyn several times a day and kept in a clean tub away from flies etc. He took antibiotics for about 5-6 days (until he quit eating the eggs or liverwurst I put the powder in). He eats and drinks find. and lets me treat him alright. But, I just wonder if I should leave it alone - its been about 3 weeks now....every time I remove the puss it comes back....that's why I wonder if it is a normal part of the healing process. I cannot find much info about this issue.....I'm really shooting in the dark here. The pictures I included are from yesterday, I noticed it was looking like it had a lot of puss build up again. I soaked him to soften it and peeled part of it away....this is what it looks like. Peeling it open I can spray the Vetricyn inside but should I remove it all again? Does this actually protect the wound? Is it a normal healing process? The wound is about 1.5-2 inch diameter. I've been treating him 3-4 weeks now.

 

[azygous]

What you are taking for pus could be subcutaneous fat. The difference is that pus is solid and waxy while the fat is a bit thinner and wants to cling stubbornly to other tissue, not as easily dislodged as pus.

One thing you might consider is pine tar. It's an ancient farmer livestock wound treatment that can be spread onto the wound, let to harden, and it protects and heals while you don't need to do anything more. You can find it at the feed store in a big tin.

 

[nancyrat]

What you are taking for pus could be subcutaneous fat. The difference is that pus is solid and waxy while the fat is a bit thinner and wants to cling stubbornly to other tissue, not as easily dislodged as pus.

One thing you might consider is pine tar. It's an ancient farmer livestock wound treatment that can be spread onto the wound, let to harden, and it protects and heals while you don't need to do anything more. You can find it at the feed store in a big tin.

Thank you - I may try that - Ive been dealing with this for a while now and I don't feel like im getting very far.

 

[nancyrat]

And thank you for your reply - I truly think it is puss - it has consistency of scrambled eggs - well done.