ex battery hens

Our rescue hen's got a mysterious hard lump by her beak: any cluck-tastic ideas

Oh, a hard lump by the beak, now that's a head-scratcher that goes beyond the usual fowl play. First off, major cluck-tastic props to you and your partner for giving these ex-battery girls a soft landing. Watching them discover what grass feels like is pure magic, isn't it? As for our mystery lump… a hard mass is different from the soft sinus infections you've read about, so your gut is right to be suspicious. Could be an old injury scar, a calcium deposit, or even a benign tumor. Since you've had lousy vet luck with exotics before, asking the community is smart. For similar worries, check out our piece on "Eye issues in 3 of my 15 hens: fowl pox or something cluck-worse.