Ammonia smell in coop-first time owner

[broni.jones]

hello,

we replaced our dearly departed old school hens with some ex bats. My pupils love them & they are coming along very nicely.

i have an ex battery hen with a lump on her back close to her tail. we only spotted this today. i think that it could be an infected/ingrowing new feather. any ideas? it is quite large. any ideas about how to treat this?

i have never had this kind of problem before with my own hens. should i take her home, isolated over the half term holidays? she seems okay at the moment but i can tell it is painfull when i touch it. i am worried it could get worse & the other hens may peck at it.

should i take her home so i can keep an eye on her?

[broni.jones]

sorry i should add that the hens don't get abandoned over the hols! we have a rota system of care over the holidays. i didn't want to leave someone else with a problem!

i leave work at 4pm ish this afternoon. i will take her home if i don't get any better ideas.

thanks for your time

[purple hen]

If it is at the bottom of the hens back near the tail, and it looks a bit like a dogs teat sticking up, it is probably the preen gland. This is difficult to find so you may not have noticed it in your other hens. I think there is a good photo of this on Clarets blog.

[Egluntyne]

Definitely sounds like the preen gland to me. It can look quite alarming if you aren'y expecting it!

 

Some are very small, but on others it can be quite large.

 

**Pic here**

[sandyhas3chucks]

Definitely sounds like the preen gland to me. It can look quite alarming if you aren'y expecting it!

 

Some are very small, but on others it can be quite large.

 

**Pic here**

oh quite a shock! mine look different from that , much more plump, silly me just assumed they were all the same!

[broni.jones]

hi,

yes it does look like the picture of a gland! it's large, about 1.5-2 cm long. i think that the area is sore because she is a little naked in that area & has alot of new feathers coming there. it is not red.

thanks so much for your advise, i wil keep an eye on her. i don't feel so worried now! silly me!

cheers

[sandyhas3chucks]

if it does get sore . sodocrem works a treat. and eas to get hold of!