Cellulitis (blisters) all over my hen's body !

[Bruwen chicks]

Just for comparison, here are 2 articles about ingrown feather cysts, which apparently are common on wing feathers:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feather-cysts-in-birds

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/feathercysts.html

This is what I am thinking bcuz the locations of the cysts...)-:

 

[Bruwen chicks]

Mercy...poor girl.

I know....

 

[Bruwen chicks]

I really hope it is not Mareks, but if you lose her I would get a necropsy through your state vet. Here are a couple of pictures of the skin lesions of Mareks which can cause ulcers in the skin:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/content/md-018ajpg
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/content/md-019ajpg

Thank you sooo much !

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry your girl is having problems.
I really don't think I've seen anything like that.

 

[rebrascora]

Poor girl!
I'm afraid I can't offer any experience on this. My thoughts/guess would be either some sort of allergic reaction particularly if she acts like they are itchy or irritating her OR cutaneous Marek's . Does anyone know if Benadryl is safe for use in chickens and effective and a dosage if it is safe or perhaps some other antihistamine. I know you can use the likes of Piriton on horses.
If it is Marek's I'm afraid there is not much you can do other than make her as comfortable as possible and maybe try something like a propolis ointment and be prepared to end her suffering, if/when it becomes clear that her quality of life is untenable.
I'm so sorry I cannot offer a certain diagnosis or treatment.. I just haven't seen anything quite like that before. If it was one or two I might think they were feather cysts but surely not that many all over her body like that!

 

[Shadrach]

@micstrachan @Shadrach @aart

I'm sorry, I can't offer any advice. I've never seen anything like that and I wouldn't even like to take a guess.
Poor hen. It looks really uncomfortable.
A good vet that specialises in fowl may be an option if you can find one in your area, but I have ahorrible feeling that anything bar a specialist vet is going to give the chicken version of 'take two asprin and four days off work' and come back in a week if it hasn't cleared up.
My worry is if it isn't some sort of cyst then whatever it iis may be contagious and that of course would mean killing the hen.
Good luck. I hope you can find an answer.

 

[dawg53]

Children's liquid Benadryl is safe for use in chickens once in 24 hours. Regular adult Benadryl or dosing more than once or overdosing can kill a chicken. However it doesnt have the same effect in birds as it does with mammals. In chickens, it's good for keeping the trachea open for breathing purposes if bitten by a poisonous insect like a bee, spider, or even a scorpion or snake.

I was thinking possibly fire ants, but the hen would be dead and covered with them. I also thought it might be feather follicle mites, but other birds would be infected with them as well.
I'm not sure what it is but leaning towards Marek's disease.

 

[coach723]

Never seen anything like it either. Just from looks it resembles feather follicle cysts the most, but to have so many....... I thought fire ants too, since they will island on anything in rising waters. So sorry for what you are dealing with post hurricane.
Did you have flooding where the chickens are? Flood waters can bring all sorts of unknowns in, so wondering about toxins and bacteria that may have gotten in small wounds, still would think more than one bird would have a problem. Not sure if new feather follicles from molt would be more susceptible to infection from bacteria? If you think it may be bites from something then maybe try poulticing with echinacea angustifolia (the kind matters, purpurea is not as effective). You can get it in capsules and empty the capsules. Make a paste and apply to a lesion and cover to try to keep it moist and keep it on as long as possible. If it's a bite the echinacea should help take the swelling down. It won't hurt anything even if the bird ate some.
I hope it's not Marek's, but I suppose the stress from the storm could have brought it out.

 

[Bruwen chicks]

I'm sorry, I can't offer any advice. I've never seen anything like that and I wouldn't even like to take a guess.
Poor hen. It looks really uncomfortable.
A good vet that specialises in fowl may be an option if you can find one in your area, but I have ahorrible feeling that anything bar a specialist vet is going to give the chicken version of 'take two asprin and four days off work' and come back in a week if it hasn't cleared up.
My worry is if it isn't some sort of cyst then whatever it iis may be contagious and that of course would mean killing the hen.
Good luck. I hope you can find an answer.

Thank you so much...i am pretty convinced at this point that they must be feather cysts because the lesions are all surrounding a feather follicle...definately breaking my heart..

 

[Bruwen chicks]

Never seen anything like it either. Just from looks it resembles feather follicle cysts the most, but to have so many....... I thought fire ants too, since they will island on anything in rising waters. So sorry for what you are dealing with post hurricane.
Did you have flooding where the chickens are? Flood waters can bring all sorts of unknowns in, so wondering about toxins and bacteria that may have gotten in small wounds, still would think more than one bird would have a problem. Not sure if new feather follicles from molt would be more susceptible to infection from bacteria? If you think it may be bites from something then maybe try poulticing with echinacea angustifolia (the kind matters, purpurea is not as effective). You can get it in capsules and empty the capsules. Make a paste and apply to a lesion and cover to try to keep it moist and keep it on as long as possible. If it's a bite the echinacea should help take the swelling down. It won't hurt anything even if the bird ate some.
I hope it's not Marek's, but I suppose the stress from the storm could have brought it out.

Thank you very much for sharing this information with me for it has me stumped...but i will say after reading and examining several pics of Marek's as well as feather cysts, i am pretty convinced that my poor hen is covered with feather cysts...