Young hen with very flaky skin on face please help

[trottreacle]

Hello,

Sorry I forgot to grab a photo but this is basically the run down of the situation.

I have a 21 or so week old silver campine. About 2 weeks ago I noticed she had feathers stuck on her beak, when I removed them her nostrils were very snotty and her breath stank. I have been treating her for the last couple of weeks with vitamin water, feeding garlic, treating her like she had a cold basically. I also have spent this time smearing her with VetRx in the morning and night, and cleaning her nostrils from the crusts that build up throughout the day and night.

So far she seems to be doing well. But, she is now fully refusing to eat the normal chicken layers pellets, she won't even touch chick crumbs, she will only eat scrambled eggs, dried calci worms, or the corn chicken mix with mixed seeds which I only use as a treat basically.

I'm assuming she has just turned princess mode from all the treats and luxury food I have been making for her to help jog her through her cold.

Cold seems to have cleared up albeit I am still removing the crusty snot in the am/pm. However, her skin basically all over her face is peeling something awful. Like, you can literally pull off these big flakes off her face, and down her neck area, poor thing must be ever so uncomfortable.

I'm putting it down to over using the vetRx and that her body has started to have a reaction to it and I've obviously stopped, I'm hoping this is the reason.

My other guesses are that she's molting, as a lot of my hens currently are, or, it's because she will not eat the normal chicken food.

I don't know how to get her to eat the layers pellets, or even chick crumb which is concerning and I don't know what I can put on her skin that could give her some relief. Please help :-(

 

[GodLovesU]

Have you checked her for parasites?

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be best to see a picture. Nasal secretions are symptoms of a respiratory disease usually. The bad odor could point to coryza. But if she has crud inside her nostrils, or canker a yellow patch inside her beak, that could also cause a bad odor. Some things that can cause flaky skin on the the face would be scaly face mites, a fungal infection called favus, or just dry skin. If you cannot get a picture, I would souse some Vaseline or coconut oil on the scaly face every day. Make sure that she doesn’t have feed stuck in her nostrils causing the secretions. Does she have swollen eyelids or face, or any bubbles in her eyes? Is there any sneezing or crackly respirations. If she has coryza, she might respond to treatment with sulfadimethoxine or other sulfa antibiotics.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is one place to order sulfa antibiotics if you think she has coryza:
https://birdpalproducts.com/products/trimethoprim-sulfa-powder

Here is some reading about coryza:
https://extension.psu.edu/avian-coryza

 

[trottreacle]

It would be best to see a picture. Nasal secretions are symptoms of a respiratory disease usually. The bad odor could point to coryza. But if she has crud inside her nostrils, or canker a yellow patch inside her beak, that could also cause a bad odor. Some things that can cause flaky skin on the the face would be scaly face mites, a fungal infection called favus, or just dry skin. If you cannot get a picture, I would souse some Vaseline or coconut oil on the scaly face every day. Make sure that she doesn’t have feed stuck in her nostrils causing the secretions. Does she have swollen eyelids or face, or any bubbles in her eyes? Is there any sneezing or crackly respirations. If she has coryza, she might respond to treatment with sulfadimethoxine or other sulfa antibiotics.

 

[trottreacle]

I checked her over today. Other than the areas I put the vetRx on she is fine. I let her eat the princess food today, and have her some scrambled egg, plain yoghurt etc and she has been quite happy eating and drinking. It's literally like the vetRx has just burnt her poor little thing

 

[Eggcessive]

Well I am glad that it may only be the vetRx that has caused the peeling skin. Hopefully, by discontinuing it, the skin will start to heal. I would use a little coconut oil or vaseline on it.