5 month old Cockerel with very Large lump near jaw / upper neck

[RowanTheRed]

Tumors are generally rock hard. He may have what we humans call a "boil", an infected follicle likely. It's sometimes caused by staph bacteria. I'm inclined to treat it as a boil with hot compresses to draw the bacteria out. Heat a wet cloth in the microwave and when it cools enough to where it won't burn the skin, apply it to the lump until the cloth cools. Do this as often as you have time for.

Good thing he enjoys cuddles. This could be easy if he does.

This should reduce the swelling and make the infection more apparent so you might recognize it and be able to figure out what it is.

I will try a warm compress this afternoon. Although I'm not certain with the way it looks that it will firm a head. But I'll give it a try just to see.

Agreed.

He is a cute little fella! Cockerels can be very sweet and do seem to like cuddles.

I hope you are able to resolve this, please keep us posted.

Thanks. He is very cute, I was thinking of keeping him and finding a new home for my buff Easter egger rooster. I'm hoping I can get him better.

Its an infected follicle and you have to drain the liquid. Vets will either squeeze it to get all the liquid out, or even use specialized needles and insert tubes to keep the liquid draining in mammal surgeries. They would also start an oral or injected antibiotic but most likely keeping the wound dry.

I never had to pull an infected follicle on a chicken, but i would probably pull the infected one out with tweezers if i hasnt already come out. Since you dont know how deep is the infection, you have to get the liquid material out squeezing it until you are satisfied it is clean and not necrotic below. I watched a video of this procedure on dogs and racoons but on a chicken it still is the same procedure.

Probably just as important as getting the infection cleaned out is giving her an antibiotic. It should be a fairly easy procedure, even as azygous said above, it can be done with warm towels. But vets are more direct and just squeeze and even make a minor surgery out of it to clean it.

Then you have to isolate her to keep from scratching maybe, but hopefully the infection will stop once you clean it and will look better in a day.

As a neonatal ICU nurse, I'm very familiar with all aspects of this. I even have a small supply of surgical tools to use. I've already tried to use a 23 gage needle to puncture and gently squeeze it, nothing came out. However after seeing how nasty thick the contents of these are, I can see why it didn't drain from such a small needle! The video I saw on YouTube where one was removed from the top of a chicken's head was quite impressive indeed. They had to make an incision and squeeze it out, it was a solid lumpy mass about the size of a golf ball!!!

I have sterile towels, sterile scaple & forceps, syringes for flushing it out. I just need an extra set of hands for assisting with holding him while I do it.

Only thing I don't have is antibiotics for him. I don't have access to a bird vet so I've only got Tractor supply or pet smart to get them from.

Any suggestions on what to get and how much/ often to give?

 

[azygous]

For any procedure, you want to wrap a chicken burrito style in a towel to firmly restrain wings and feet. When he senses he's immobilized, he will relax and not fight you. I rarely have the luxury of an assistant when I need to work on a patient. The towel and sometimes an Ace bandage securing the towel provides the restraints I need and I never have a problem, even with painful procedures.

Thankfully, amoxicillin is available at TSC. They come in inconvenient 500mg doses, but I break them open and divide the contents. I've found that a small half inch piece of bread dipped in olive oil will handily sop of the amoxy powder and the patient always is eager to take it from me.

Since antibiotics are not easy to find except online, I keep an assortment on hand to be ready for any health crisis. I think I like Jedd's the best. https://jedds.com/shop/

 

[RowanTheRed]

For any procedure, you want to wrap a chicken burrito style in a towel to firmly restrain wings and feet. When he senses he's immobilized, he will relax and not fight you. I rarely have the luxury of an assistant when I need to work on a patient. The towel and sometimes an Ace bandage securing the towel provides the restraints I need and I never have a problem, even with painful procedures.

Thankfully, amoxicillin is available at TSC. They come in inconvenient 500mg doses, but I break them open and divide the contents. I've found that a small half inch piece of bread dipped in olive oil will handily sop of the amoxy powder and the patient always is eager to take it from me.

Since antibiotics are not easy to find except online, I keep an assortment on hand to be ready for any health crisis. I think I like Jedd's the best. https://jedds.com/shop/

Just to be clear, do you divide the amoxicillian in half? As in approximately 250mg per dose?

Also, I suspect it's going to leave one huge hole once the contents are removed. Do you pack it with wet to dry dressing? Or better yet, I have done calcium alginate dressing that is used for draining wounds that really helps in speeding up healing?

One last question, have you ever had a big bleeder? If so did you use something like a quick clot agent to stop the bleeding?
hole

 

[azygous]

The amoxy dose for chickens is 250mg per day for a week to ten days. Or you can give 125mg twice a day.

Chicken pus is solid and waxy. It needs to be cut out or squeezed out since it is not fluid enough to aspirate. There should be little to no bleeding. About the only part on a chicken that bleeds a lot are combs and wattles. Direct pressure usually controls it.

Once you clean the pus out of the wound, I flush liberally with saline and pack it with antibacterial ointment. He may not need an oral antibiotic unless he shows signs of systemic infection. Usually, a staph infection is superficial and easily removed and treated.

The way I would approach the "boil" is to make a small incision and express the pus from it. Flush with saline by using a syringe to get deep inside, then pat dry and apply the ointment. The wound should heal pretty quickly once the pus is removed.

 

[RowanTheRed]

The amoxy dose for chickens is 250mg per day for a week to ten days. Or you can give 125mg twice a day.

Chicken pus is solid and waxy. It needs to be cut out or squeezed out since it is not fluid enough to aspirate. There should be little to no bleeding. About the only part on a chicken that bleeds a lot are combs and wattles. Direct pressure usually controls it.

Once you clean the pus out of the wound, I flush liberally with saline and pack it with antibacterial ointment. He may not need an oral antibiotic unless he shows signs of systemic infection. Usually, a staph infection is superficial and easily removed and treated.

The way I would approach the "boil" is to make a small incision and express the pus from it. Flush with saline by using a syringe to get deep inside, then pat dry and apply the ointment. The wound should heal pretty quickly once the pus is removed.

Tractor supply doesn't have amoxicillin tablets, only injectable penicillin. So it's going to have to be topical for now.

One more thought, there are so many hackle feathers on it that is difficult to see, let alone incise. Should I clip these away or work around them?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Tractor supply doesn't have amoxicillin tablets, only injectable penicillin. So it's going to have to be topical for now.

One more thought, there are so many hackle feathers on it that is difficult to see, let alone incise. Should I clip these away or work around them?

Have you been inside your store and looked to see what is actually on the shelf?
Sometimes...it doesn't show up online, just sayin' With you being in Upstate SC you may luck out and find the Amoxicillin in store...maybe not. The first photo of Fishbiotic is usually what I can grab if they have any on the shelf (it doesn't show online!). Sometimes they have the other one, but that first photo is what I've found here in NC.

Anyway...IF Penicillin is all you can get, then yes you can use that. (Procaine Penicillin G 1/4 ml once a day for 4-5days into the breast muscle, alternate sides, 20 gauge needle)

It may take a while to get Amoxicillin online, but it's good to have on hand so consider ordering some if budget allows.

Now...yes, I would trim or pluck feathers away from the wound. This will help you see it better and keeps the wound cleaner.

I would follow Carol's direction on treating the wound. Normally you don't pack chicken wounds with gauze, you leave them open. Just keep your ointment in there. Flush with saline or Chlorhexidine as needed too.

You've got this

 

[RowanTheRed]

Have you been inside your store and looked to see what is actually on the shelf?
Sometimes...it doesn't show up online, just sayin' With you being in Upstate SC you may luck out and find the Amoxicillin in store...maybe not. The first photo of Fishbiotic is usually what I can grab if they have any on the shelf (it doesn't show online!). Sometimes they have the other one, but that first photo is what I've found here in NC.

Anyway...IF Penicillin is all you can get, then yes you can use that. (Procaine Penicillin G 1/4 ml once a day for 4-5days into the breast muscle, alternate sides, 20 gauge needle)

It may take a while to get Amoxicillin online, but it's good to have on hand so consider ordering some if budget allows.

Now...yes, I would trim or pluck feathers away from the wound. This will help you see it better and keeps the wound cleaner.

I would follow Carol's direction on treating the wound. Normally you don't pack chicken wounds with gauze, you leave them open. Just keep your ointment in there. Flush with saline or Chlorhexidine as needed too.

You've got this

Now THAT I might be able to get from Pet Smart! It's just across the street from my neighborhood. If not I'll look at Tractor supply as well.

I wish I had a way of recording this procedure for others to see in the future. I'm sure I won't be the last person looking for help with this issue

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My boy had a cyst on his neck. Though much smaller. The vet prescribed him some chlorohexidine (2 times a day) and it cleared up

 

[RowanTheRed]

Okay. TSC is out of Penicillin G and NOBODY around me sells fish mox. So I'm going to have to get it online and it will take several days to get here. So, do I hold off of removing the cyst until I have it, or go ahead and remove it now and begin ABX treatment when it arrives?

 

[RowanTheRed]

Okay, new development. While outside just now I noticed that the same cockerel had an area on the same side at the top of his leg where the feathers were sticking out there as well. I picked him up to get a look and he has another one there AND on his left side in his shoulder area!

I'm really not sure what is going on now. I guess it is possible to have more than one cyst, but seriously, 3 of them?! Only the one I noticed first looks ulcerated, the two newer ones don't appear to be ulcerated yet.

The one on his shoulder made me realize that he does not have a single hackle feather on that side of his neck. Not a one . It's like they are female hackle feathers on the left and male ones on the right.

You know, they little guy has never attempted to crow either. But that has me less concerned because my lavender Ameraucana roo didn't crow or have ANY tail feathers until he was nearly 7 months old.

These are where the ones are on this side.

This is where the other one is. Right under the area that has no hackle feathers.

See, no long hackle feathers like the other side.