Banty roo with black growth in corner of mouth/face

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I have an 8 year old bantam la fleche rooster that I have suspected for some time as having wet form of fowl pox... like a couple of years. I spotted what appeared to the be the lesions in his mouth some time ago. He has not shown any difficulty breathing. It has not seemed to bother him much. He is eating, drinking, pooping and crowing. I have seen him violently shaking his head, probably 1 time per month for the past 3 months. Most recently today in bright sunlight so I could see what is going on and get a better look at him.

In the dim light yesterday, i saw this blackened spot. When I normally approach him, he looks at me from the other side.... and just glancing at him, you don't see *this* side. He is pretty stand offish and does not like to be handled.

I've attached a photo and hopefully can get a video to load but I want to get this out now. I just put him in a hospital cage with some honey water. If he is hungry, I do not want to give him too much for fear of him aspirating or otherwise choking.

Any guesses of what I'm looking at here? Fowl pox, yeast, canker, bumble... im just throwing all these out there.

The growth is affecting his ability to see.... and eat regularly presumably. He does manage to eat as I watch him eat every morning when he comes down.

I have an arsenal of things to try.... just not sure what to go with first.

Thank you for any guidance.

 

[Eggcessive]

Squamous cell skin cancer can have a similar appearance with a black scab inside a crater. Sometimes additional craters may be forming on other parts of the skin. This link shows the craters and scabs of it:
https://sesc.cat/en/squamous-cell-carcinoma-in-laying-hens/
Wet fowl pox would not last for more than a month or two. But canker can be a chronic infection inside the beak with yellow foul-smelling gunk. Sometimes the outside of the beak may have a full, gray appearance.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Thank you. I will more closely inspect him and try to see if I can get a sense of an odor emanating from his mouth. I do see a little of what I think are the oral yellow/off whitish lesions if I look at him just so... and check his beak color compared to his coop mates. There may be nothing to be done and we are prepared for that also.

This website is a wonderful resource, thank you also for sharing it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Canker can be treated with metronidazole available from pigeon sites.
https://jedds.com/products/metronid...I0uDRNwOkKHTXtIZhEloDPDOT9CsTFlUV8q20BQ9KzhIe

Here are a couple of articles about canker, which is carried by pigeons and some wild birds:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/trichomonosis/trichomonosis#Clinical-Findings_v3340695

https://www.bhwt.org.uk/hen-health/health-problems/oral-canker/

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/canker

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

UPDATE!

First I have to just get this out of my system that this was the grossest and most upsetting thing I have had to do one handed with a chicken. I'm am just squirming and yuckified over here because that is what I do. I will eventually calm down. I will be super proud of myself if he makes it.

Warm compresses w Epsom salts and an old eye brow tweezer that i need to sanitize or just throw away. It softened wnough that I could start peeling up the edge.... and as it was coming UP, it was ALSO coming OUT.... of his mouth. This thing is HUGE given his little tiny mouth.

So either I just removed a cancerous tumor, or some infected pecking injury, or canker or heavens only knows, it is completely OUT of my chicken. I have flushed the wound, applied boo boo goo and switched him to amox/tylosin just because. I will check him in a little bit.... he was hell bent on drinking and i cant say I blame him.

Pic showing his cleaned out face (the massive hole) and what actually came out. The round black part was what was on his face.... and when that came out, it pulled the remaining crap out of his mouth. Blechxhxhchchchhhh.... eeeek.

I'm okay. More or less. Just a sissy.

Main thing is I want him better. Which is why any of us do the things we do.

 

[Eggcessive]

Congratulations on removing the mass. I would have probably left it to see what happened, but glad that you got it off. It still looks like it could be squamous cell cancer, or at least some type of tumor to me. Please let us know what happens, and I hope that it heals. In these types of cancers, more lesions can appear on the skin. Glad that he is eating and drinking. Here is a link to read with pictures in the right upper corn of various squamous cell skin cancers in chickens and how they look:
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

 

[Eggcessive]

I just added a link with pictures to my last post.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Yeahhh... I was going to leave it.... but I was watching (or trying to watch) the inside of his mouth.... and I was afraid his airway was going to become obstructed from SOMETHING.... I just didn't know what.

It looked 'bumble foot-y' enough to try to remove and then throw some antibiotics at him. I really suspected that I had TWO things going on....like a bacterial thing AND canker. Still going to watch him to see if this comes back. It may be completely above my pay grade/skill set..

Thank you for your guidance. I will keep you posted.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I just added a link with pictures to my last post.

Thank you so much!!! Could possibly be what we're seeing.

 

[CoopBoots]

Following to learn... But I just gotta say, congratulations on doing something so difficult!! You really care about the little guy and it shows. I bet he is so relieved to be able to eat and drink a bit easier. Sending all my best wishes for his health! He's lucky to be in your flock.