Is this a tumor? Please help be determine the best course of action for this hot mess.

[Wyorp Rock]

Preening gland looks pretty normal then.

So the location of the scab and swelling is more like his tail. Does he have his normal tail feathers or are they gone?

Like he's had his tail feathers pulled/plucked out and he's been picked at. I'd try the compresses but treat as a wound for the time being as well. See if when any scabs come off, if there's evidence of broken feathers there.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

My first inclination would be to pore hydrogen peroxide on it, but I’m not sure if that’s an option on chickens.

Also, is it something that can be drained, I wonder? I know you will get solid advice from the experts, I hope it all works out for the best

 

[coach723]

I agree with @Wyorp Rock . I would treat it as a wound for now, If he was picked, and drew blood, it would have attracted much more picking.

 

[Eggcessive]

Would it be possible to place his lower end in a bucket or dish pan of warm water, and add a bit of either Betadine, Hibiclens, or Epsom salts, and soak him for about 15 minutes to soften the scab? Then I would try to clean off the scab to see if you see solid yellow pus or just bleeding. Then apply some triple antibiotic ointment to the wound when dry enough. If this isn’t an abscess from something, it could be a skin cancer. Those are fairly common in chickens.

 

[mrsmistoffelees02]

Preening gland looks pretty normal then.

So the location of the scab and swelling is more like his tail. Does he have his normal tail feathers or are they gone?

Like he's had his tail feathers pulled/plucked out and he's been picked at. I'd try the compresses but treat as a wound for the time being as well. See if when any scabs come off, if there's evidence of broken feathers there.

Thank you. His tail feathers are gone - when I was out of town, my husband told me he was bleeding and it looked like his feathers were plucked out. When I got home and inspected the bleeding is when I found the mass.

Do you think I should start him antibiotics? I don’t take antibiotic use lightly, but if it looks infected enough, I have amoxicillin on hand.
My current plan of action is to do a hot wet compress to see if I can get that scab loosened up and spray with Vetericyn. I’ve also put Rooster Booster Poultry Cell in their water for extra vitamins. Anything else y’all think I should do?

 

[mrsmistoffelees02]

My first inclination would be to pore hydrogen peroxide on it, but I’m not sure if that’s an option on chickens.

Also, is it something that can be drained, I wonder? I know you will get solid advice from the experts, I hope it all works out for the best

Thanks for your input! I had that thought too but I’ve heard hydrogen peroxide can inhibit healing and kill healthy cells.

Hoping it’s an infection I can flush out. More hopeful now that it could be a wound instead of a tumor… Wishing for the best and preparing for the worst, thankful for the helpful resources on here and Facebook!

 

[Eggcessive]

Peroxide should not be used repeatedly for wounds, but sometimes can be helpful in one time use to soften a scab or flush inside of an abscess to get pus out.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

Peroxide should not be used repeatedly for wounds, but sometimes can be helpful in one time use to soften a scab or flush inside of an abscess to get pus out.

That’s good to know

 

[mrsmistoffelees02]

Would it be possible to place his lower end in a bucket or dish pan of warm water, and add a bit of either Betadine, Hibiclens, or Epsom salts, and soak him for about 15 minutes to soften the scab? Then I would try to clean off the scab to see if you see solid yellow pus or just bleeding. Then apply some triple antibiotic ointment to the wound when dry enough. If this isn’t an abscess from something, it could be a skin cancer. Those are fairly common in chickens.

I’ll do that when I get home - I have Epsom salts on hand, do you think Hibiclens would be a more effective option?
Also, would you recommend Simply Neosporin or Vetericyn for a topical antibiotic?
Definitely keeping cancer as a possibility in the back of my mind.

I’ll give hydrogen peroxide a try in that case, I didn’t realize it could help with scabs - the scab is pretty cemented on there. Thank you for the info, I’ll keep that in mind!

 

[coach723]

Once you've cleaned and flushed and are ready to apply ointment, I would use the neosporin since it's petroleum based and will stick better and keep the area moist. Veterycin is good for cleaning, but it will not stay moist as long. Softening and removing the scab may happen slowly over several tries depending on how thick and dry it is. The neosporin in between sessions will also help soften it. I often use hibiclens when cleaning wounds on my birds.