Chicken cyst

[cd3farm]

Well, this is my first post and boy what a post. I have been searching other posts about cysts on chickens and can't find anything exactly like what I experienced today. I was checking over my English Buff Orpington hens and on the underside of the breast I found what looked like a plug or cork(about 1/2 inch in diameter) different in color from the skin but not dark. Her breast feathers were damp and that is what made me start looking. I gently pushed at the side of the thing and yellowish fluid leaked out. I yelled for my husband and he brought me paper towels, tweezers, peroxide, and neosporin. I gently pried out the( cork?) and it left a huge hole. I could see lots of yellow cheesey stuff (have sense read that chicken pus looks like that) and I gently removed it. A LOT of it! Over a tablespoon. I could now look down inside her breast and could see meat. I removed all the pus I could see and poured in peroxide. Interestingly there was not as much foaming of the peroxide as I expected. I then stuffed it with neosporin. She tolerated all this very well. Not happy, but not flinching or seeming in pain although I'm sure it hurt. She limped for a bit after I put her down, but then started acting like a chicken again. She had not been acting like she felt good for a few days before today.
So, have I done the right thing?? I have done similar surgeries on rabbits and I just did what seemed to be needed. Was I right? Has anyone else experienced this?
She is a beautiful bird and I hope to use her in my breeding program. I didn't even consider calling my vet because he has already told me he knows nothing about chickens.

 

[justplainbatty]

Well, this is my first post and boy what a post. I have been searching other posts about cysts on chickens and can't find anything exactly like what I experienced today. I was checking over my English Buff Orpington hens and on the underside of the breast I found what looked like a plug or cork(about 1/2 inch in diameter) different in color from the skin but not dark. Her breast feathers were damp and that is what made me start looking. I gently pushed at the side of the thing and yellowish fluid leaked out. I yelled for my husband and he brought me paper towels, tweezers, peroxide, and neosporin. I gently pried out the( cork?) and it left a huge hole. I could see lots of yellow cheesey stuff (have sense read that chicken pus looks like that) and I gently removed it. A LOT of it! Over a tablespoon. I could now look down inside her breast and could see meat. I removed all the pus I could see and poured in peroxide. Interestingly there was not as much foaming of the peroxide as I expected. I then stuffed it with neosporin. She tolerated all this very well. Not happy, but not flinching or seeming in pain although I'm sure it hurt. She limped for a bit after I put her down, but then started acting like a chicken again. She had not been acting like she felt good for a few days before today.
So, have I done the right thing?? I have done similar surgeries on rabbits and I just did what seemed to be needed. Was I right? Has anyone else experienced this?
She is a beautiful bird and I hope to use her in my breeding program. I didn't even consider calling my vet because he has already told me he knows nothing about chickens.

Welcome to our flock! I think you did great! Sounds like the pus plug was working to keep infection down(sorta, kinda). Very lucky you noticed that. Keep up the good work! Have antibiotics on hand just in case.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like she had an abscess, and you treated it well. Was the abscess in the middle near her breast bone? Does she lie down a lot, or roost on the floor at night?

 

[cd3farm]

If I remember correctly it was a bit away from the breast bone. At least I could not see the bone even though I could see way up into her chest muscle. If a hen were to be setting it was right where she would be resting on the ground.
She has not been laying around a lot. Just acting normal except that a couple of days ago she was acting a bit mopy.
Some of the hens do sleep on the floor and some perch on the perches. There is plenty of room on the perches. Not sure why some do and some don't. I am not sure which one she does...........I just went to look and she is up on a perch. At least she was until I disturbed her.

 

[cd3farm]

Do you think I should give her a shot of Tylan 50 or wait and see how she does?

 

[Eggcessive]

Breast blisters may become abscessed, and the common bacteria are staphylococcus or E. coli. Tylan may help, but your vet could probably prescribe better antibiotics specifically for those bacteria. Enrofloxacin or Baytril would be good. Procaine Penicillin is good for staph. Tylan is not good for E.coli. Here are a couple of articles on breast blisters:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/40/breast-blister
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/4hpoultry/t02_pageview/Wing_Rap_9.htm

 

[cd3farm]

Thank you for your replys everyone. I will call the vet tomorrow.

 

[cd3farm]

Well I called my vet and as I mentioned and he didn't have a clue. He thought maybe Sulmet. I had forgotten to write down the antibiotics you mentioned so I called him back with with your info. He wasn't available and am waiting for a call back now.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sulmet is a sulfa drug that will treat coccidiosis, some respiratory diseases, such as coryza, and ear infections.

 

[cd3farm]

I retreated her again today. Looks so much better. I'm going to wait on the antibiotics a couple of days. It was amazing how much smaller and healed it looked because it was so big. When I opened it back up only some clear fluid leaked out. Repacked it with Neosporin. She is walking fine and just a little mopy.