hen with swollen wattles -- need help with diagnosis

[Stumpy]

One of my hens has very swollen wattles, but displays no other symptoms. Because all of my other chickens seem fine, I gave her some Benadryl last night. If the swelling has gone down, it is only slightly. I would appreciate any advice about this.

 

[pwand]

She may have Fowl Cholera. Here is some info about the disease.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6060252_chicken-comb-diseases.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Edited to add:
Here is another link on Fowl Cholera, I hope it works, its a pdf with good info about the disease.


http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...=uiWFhfLUZdSEq9q7dmEpbw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.cGE

 

[Eggcessive]

Besides fowl cholera, coryza can cause swollen wattles. Is there a bad smell around her head? Could she have been stung or pecked? Coryza and fowl cholera can be treated with Sulmet and Di-Methox (sulfadimethoxine,) but she may be a carrier for life. Here are some respiratory diseases to read about: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Edited for my terrible spelling

 

[Stumpy]

Thanks for your replies.

I have checked on her several times today. There is no odor. She is active, eating normally, etc. I believe the swelling is down slightly. I have heard no sneezing or wheezing.

 

[Wisher1000]

Okay, call me weird, but that is the prettiest, most feminine, kindest eye I have ever seen on a chicken.

 

[Stumpy]

Okay, call me weird, but that is the prettiest, most feminine, kindest eye I have ever seen on a chicken.

Well, I have her thanks to you and I am crazy about my FBCMs. The swelling seems to be lessening slowly. I tend to panic a bit when any of my chickens have some sort of symptom.

 

[Stumpy]

I thought I would give a little update -- mystery solved and lesson learned. A few days before I noticed the swelling on this hen, I was given a large bag of flock raiser crumbles. I put some in the feeder, so they had access to this and their layer pellets, as well as free-range time. It wasn't until after the swelling appeared that I noticed honey bees going in the feeder -- interested in the crumbles. This hen must have been stung by one of them. She is one of two hens who has always laid eggs with incredibly thick shells, but one appeared this week which was very thin. I gave the feeder a good cleaning and removed all traces of the flock raiser crumbles. I guess the lower protein food could cause the thin shells and it obviously contains something sweet that attracted the bees. I've never seen bees near my feeders before.

 

[Eggcessive]

I thought I would give a little update -- mystery solved and lesson learned. A few days before I noticed the swelling on this hen, I was given a large bag of flock raiser crumbles. I put some in the feeder, so they had access to this and their layer pellets, as well as free-range time. It wasn't until after the swelling appeared that I noticed honey bees going in the feeder -- interested in the crumbles. This hen must have been stung by one of them. She is one of two hens who has always laid eggs with incredibly thick shells, but one appeared this weak that was very thin. I gave the feeder a good cleaning and removed all traces of the flock raiser crumbles. I guess the lower protein food could cause the thin shells and it obviously contains something sweet that attracted the bees. I've never seen bees near my feeders before.

I'm glad to hear your hen is better, but just to clarify, flock raiser is practically identical to layer except for having less calcium (for chicks, immature pullets,cockerels, and roosters,) and 20% protein versus 16% in layer. I'm not sure why that would have attracted bees anymore than the layer.