Swollen Earlobe

[gerberagirl]

On Sunday, we discovered our hen had a gash above her earlobe and the earlobe was swollen. We cleaned the wound, separated the hen from the flock and have been spraying it with Vetericyn. The earlobe was really warm to the touch on Sunday and Monday, but is no longer warm. The hen has been eating, drinking and laying like normal. My daughter says when she first felt the earlobe, she felt something small and hard. As the swelling has gone down, the hard thing seems bigger, and so she is worried because of course this is her favorite hen. The hen has no issue with us touching or gently squeezing the earlobe. We do not have access to a vet, so I was hoping someone might have some idea of why the earlobe is hard in the center. The first photo isn't that great, but that is the day we first saw the wound. The second photo is from a few hours ago

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Behind the tuft of feathers is the ear canal. (Your photo and red circle below).
Is there any pus or infection inside the ear canal?

Feeling hard, it may be some pus or scar tissue in the earlobe, hard to know. I consider giving a 1 time cleaning of Peroxide to see if that will help break up the scab so you can see it a bit better and determine if there's pus in the ear or earlobe. 1 Drop of Peroxide, let bubble, then gently wipe away. If necessary apply just 1 more drop and wipe. Then apply triple antibiotic ointment.

Then get some photos of the ear and earlobe. It's hard to see the scabbing. Sometimes birds can get Ear Canker or infection in the ear. It could be just an injury as well, hard to tell.