- This topic has 34 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 7 years, 6 months ago by
Dr. Patrick Jones.
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Elizabeth
I have a chicken that I brought in yesterday afternoon when I saw the knot on her face. I had not seen it before and she was acting normal. I put hot compresses on her face and she seemed to like that. I made a tea with cayenne and garlic, let it steep until room temperature, and have been giving her that 2-3x a day plus putting some on the area. This is the only liquid she has available. Her appetite is good, she is still acting normally, but I have noticed that her B.M.s are watery and she looks like she is yawning a lot. The swelling encompasses her ear. She does not bend down to drink,but will eat fine.
When I used the hot compress, the liquid that leaked out was watery with some blood. I used some yarrow oil on it.
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The liquid also had a very bad odor and the area still stinks. Is there anything else I should be doing?
She has now turned down milk kefir. She’s usually the first chicken there.
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She doesn’t seem to be able to drink from a dish but can eat fine. Is there any way to get water into her other than a medicine dropper? I have seen her eat ice outside, so she has probably existed on just ice.
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I’ve been ruling out chicken illnesses on the internet. My main problem has been getting enough water into her since she can’t drink on her own. I’m giving garlic/cayenne tea, milk kefir, and water about 3x a day. I’m sprouting wheat berries and soaking her scratch. She’s helping by teaching me how to give her water with a dropper efficiently. Any other way I can get moisture into her?
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IdahoHerbalist
Is it an abscess or possibly a parasite? The bad smell tells me there is most likely an infection. I would think the garlic might help with that but do you have anything else in the berberine family: oregon grape, barberry or goldenseal? Yarrow might be another you could use to help fight infection.
OH OH OH! Plantain would be quite appropriate to draw out the toxins too.
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Dr. Patrick Jones
Chickens will often take fresh herbs. Plantain would be a good choice. I’d get some Echinacea into her as well. As to the water consumption issue, anything wet that you feed her will help a lot (fresh greens, corn mash mixed with water etc…
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Sorry I haven’t been here lately. She is doing well, eating and drinking. I’m fermenting scratch feed for her. I noticed that she would eat the wheat first, so I added more wheat to the mix. I’ve also added barley, she eats the wheat first, then the barley and has been eating more corn lately.
She has never felt hot to the touch, and her comb felt like the same temp as the rest of her body. Green plants are out of the question this time of year. I alternate the kind of salve I use. I made garlic oil, mixed it with cayenne salve and extra beeswax; cayenne salve; and a salve using equal parts activated charcoal and bentonite clay with enough cayenne salve to combine. I used yarrow oil at first.
The ‘sore’ surrounding her ear broke apart and was hollow inside. The base surrounding her ear is still solid and there’s been no change. She had a bad case of lice, but an unintended effect of the garlic and salves have either greatly reduced or eliminated that.
She actually ‘talkedtalked’ yesterday. She usually doesn’t make a sound unless she’s upset. These were happy normal chicken sounds. There has been no change in her behavior, although when I pick her up she now grips me. It made her nervous at first for me to be out of her sight even though I was still in the room. I don’t think there was any brain damage although she may be partially blind and deaf on that side.
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Now that parasites were mentioned, what parasite would hatch out this time of year? The “cone” was hollow, the base solid. One moning about a week ago, there was a hole about the size of a BB in the center, by that afternoon the hole was about the size of my fingernail. She does scratch it a lot with her foot.
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She’s not eating or drinking as much today. She’s “yawning”, too. At first it reminded me of someone’s ears popping, but then Inoticed it was like something was caught in her throat. If I put salve on her throat, she seems to enjoy that. So maybe concentrate putting salve on her throat area on that side?
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Am out of money but have Land of Havillah Parasite Formula. How best to dose her? It’s a powdered herb formula. What parasite could it be? I wormed all the chickens with it a few months ago. Should I dose them all again?
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First, the good news: she has stopped “yawning” since I started the Parasite Formula. The acute directions were 2x the dose for the first, then regular dose for the next 3 doses given 15 minutes apart for an hour. Then a dose every hour for 3 hours. Tomorrow she’ll get a dose every 4 hours. This is continued for 3 days after the symptoms have left.
Now the not so good news: the area around her eye is swollen, her eye is about half closed, she has goop in the corner. I put some Vick’s salve on the edge of her beak and the top of her head.
She doesn’t seem to want to extend her neck and keeps it close to her body. I put some black salve on her throat, it seems that makes her feel better.
Normally, I wouldn’t be this concerned about a chicken, but she’s our only broody hen, has a good personality, is a good layer, and is a good size.
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I am not an expert but maybe some of her responses are do to things happening with the herb?
What is the vicks salve?
Does the black salve have bloodroot in it?
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Vicks salve is mentholated ointment you buy in the store. The quickie version of the black salve has equal parts activated charcoaland bentonite clay mixed into enough cayenne salve to make a paste.
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DANG, I would not want vicks near my eyes, be careful!!!
I am guessing the cayenne is what is doing the work in the salve. Probably increasing the blood flow to the area. What is the purpose of the charcoal and clay?
This has been quite educational for me too.
Teasel just popped into my mind when thinking about parasites.
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I don’t like using Vicks because she might move. That’s why it’s on top of her head.
The charcoal and bentonite both absorb toxins. She seems to like it. Mixing those with the cayenne salve just made sense.
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I looked at her poop this morning and I couldn’t BELIEVE how many dead worms there were! She looked so good to have that many worms. She’s still “yawning”, but rarely, and only slightly. The swelling has gone down around her eye and there’s been no goop since yesterday morning. Since the other chickens look as good as she does and she was sick, I’ll put that rate of Parasite Formula in their water for the next month. Thank you Jesus.
I looked up the medicinal uses of teasel, and the root is used for treating cancer and used for skin ailments.
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I’ve done A LOT of research. I went from researching Lyme’s and chickens to all deer parasites and chickens; nothing clicked. I did find out that some diseases in chickens can mimic worms. There was one that stress triggers. She was one of the 3 that are still alive after a dog attack their second winter here.
IRT is caused by a herpes virus and looks like worms in their throat. They actually can choke on a blood clot in their trachea. So now to find something that will dissolve the clot and get rid of the inflammation that caused the clot. I know turmeric is an anti-inflammatory, and I think cayenne is, and the cayenne has helped keep the blood flowing to help dissolve the clot.
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I’d go with the BugBuster mentioned above. I doubt it’s a parasite problem.
Doc
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Doc, what do you think it could be? I’m at a loss, but she did lay an egg today. She has been getting cayenne tincture with garlic macerating in it. She still “yawns” occasionally, and the back of her comb seemed paler.
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She has now lost the “cone” over her ear. The swelling at its base receded and it had some pus. I’m using cayenne salve in that area and drawing salve around her face where there’s still some puffiness. I’m giving her cayenne/garlic tincture by mouth.
She didn’t lay an egg today but losing the cone was probably stressful.
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Just thinking that pictures would have been a cool think to include.
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I would have, but I can’t post pictures. Technology is very confusing for me. I can only describe what I see.
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Elizabeth wrote: Doc, what do you think it could be? I’m at a loss, but she did lay an egg today. She has been getting cayenne tincture with garlic macerating in it. She still “yawns” occasionally, and the back of her comb seemed paler.
I really have no idea without seeing it. A lot of the herbs used for worms also have activity against bacteria and viruses as well so that could explain her good response to your worm formula.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Believe me, that helps. After she lost the “cone”, I noticed she had a scab right at the top of where the cone was. She may have scratched it while avoiding the predator last fall. It looks like it caused an abscess.
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Red went back out with the other chickens last night after dark. I checked on her several times today along with keeping an eye on her while I was working outside. Anytime she could see me she’d call to me, and kept herself apart from the other chickens. I felt it was best to just stay away. I checked tonight that she was on the roost. Everything is getting back to normal. I think the rooster has accepted her, which will help her become a flock member again.
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Glad she’s feeling better.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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That’s what was confusing me. Her appetite, color, eyes, b.m., and temp were all good. Her food and water had to be higher for her to eat and drink at first, but after she was eating and drinking normally and her head was back to normal, I just put the occasional “yawn” in God’s hands. Now she’s having to learn to be a chicken again. 🙄
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The knot’s back on the other side of her head. She has stopped laying permanently. I’m putting God in charge, I’m observing since I never found out what it was. I haven’t separated her from the flock, since I dondon’t think it’s contagious.
There are a lot of variables. All of the chickens are being fed fermented barley. She is with the flock. The swelling arose in August instead of December. These might make a difference in her health.
She has been able to eat from ground level, instead of it needing to be raised. She has only been unsteady once when another chicken bumped into her. She only “yawned” for a few days before the swelling burst. Now that the swelling has burst, it seems to be healing faster. We may learn something from all this. I wonder if it’s age that’s causing this? She is about 9.
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I would have expected for her to stop laying a long time ago.
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That’s what surprised me. She started laying back in January! Even the younger Buff Orpingtons outside were only laying occasionally. She had no natural light in her room and the light was only on about 12 hours a day. She was in an unheated room, and her water would freeze regularly.
The eggs from her didn’t hatch in the incubator this year. When we candled them, they were developing normally.
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Red was dead when I went out to feed this morning. Since I didn’t have anything disposable with sleeves, I only dissected her head. It was a BAD fungal infection. It seemed to have gone through her head and was starting to come out her other ear. It wasn’t really a dissection, it was an external exam.
That sore was crusty on the outside but moist under the crust. I won’t be so ignorant the next time. What can I grow besides garlic that is a good antifungal? The cayenne salve with garlic and charcoal helped.
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Elizabeth wrote: Red was dead when I went out to feed this morning. Since I didn’t have anything disposable with sleeves, I only dissected her head. It was a BAD fungal infection. It seemed to have gone through her head and was starting to come out her other ear. It wasn’t really a dissection, it was an external exam.
That sore was crusty on the outside but moist under the crust. I won’t be so ignorant the next time. What can I grow besides garlic that is a good antifungal? The cayenne salve with garlic and charcoal helped.
Monarda Fistulosa is a good anti-fungal as are Black walnut hulls and goldenrod.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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