Chicken diagnosed with tumor…. Or is it something else??

[BabyRaptors]

On Tuesday I took my 4.5 year old Jersey Giant to the vet- thinking there was a slim chance I’d actually leave with her.

She had been acting like her normal peculiar self, but with very foul smelling sticky poo. She hasn’t laid an egg since last fall, nice firm crop (sometimes feels like a sand stress ball) that empties, bright red comb, she had a brief sour crop spell a few weeks ago. I began treating her for vent gleet last week, during her bath Sunday I noticed her abdomen was very large and firm, she appeared on the verge of a prolapse, her legs were about 4” wider apart which caused her to stumble over uneven terrain, difficulty jumping. The monistat helped reduce her swollen cloaca.


The vet mentioned xray or ultrasound, but didn’t want to charge me for something “most likely not treatable/curable”. She said as long as she’s eating, drinking, normal chickening it wouldn’t be cruel to wait and try medication. She came to the conclusion that it was probably some kind of tumor and prescribed meloxicam for pain and swelling.

She is my most uncooperative picky chicken and the liquid is difficult to get the full dose in her. She has been a little more mobile, legs a little closer together and swelling is down and I can now feel two distinct even segments. She still has the very foul poop that’s sometimes bright green. She’s still queen bee, begs for scratch, and keeps everyone away until she’s done.


The medication seems to be helping, but I’m concerned I might be missing something. Has anyone had a similar experience? What was the diagnosis and prognosis? Should I start vent gleet treatment with monistat again or something else? When does quality of life really go down?




** The white specs in the photo are not lice. She has trouble jumping and refuses to use the 5 different types of stairs and jump pads I’ve tried. So she decide to sleep on the coop floor last night with the sand and zeolite odor control sprinkles instead of her special box she’s been using.

**I’ve debated whether or not to trim her fluff feathers. I’m concerned they may continue to stick and irritate her skin. I’ll probably try a few after her bath tonight to see if it helps some.

 

[alinas2010]

I’m so sorry to hear about your hen. She sounds like she’s in decent spirits given her situation. If I had to guess, I’d say she has something reproductive going on. It could be tumor(s) or an infection. Something like salpingitis or internal laying could cause an infection as the yolks get deposited in her abdomen. Eventually her abdomen would begin to swell as pus or fluid accumulates. Tumors can cause similar issues. It is a very sad and long road to go down. Sometimes antibiotics can help if it is an infection, but often they just buy the hen more time, not fully curing the issue.

I haven’t ever treated vent gleet, so I can’t tell you if she does or doesn’t have that. Foul smelling droppings can be in line with reproductive infections, though.

Does her abdomen feel bloated then? When she was laying, were her eggs wonky, misshapen, cracked and mended?

 

[coach723]

Dirty vent feathers are very common when a bird has one of the various reproductive problems, the bloat in the abdomen can make it harder for them to push droppings out, so they end up in the feathers. The options are to clean her up as needed, so that flies don't get into those droppings and lay eggs, which would cause flystrike, or sometimes it's easier to just trim back feathers with small scissors. Applying a small amount of vaseline or coconut oil to the skin below the vent can help keep the droppings from sticking as bad (don't over do that so it runs everywhere). Most birds will not want to roost, jump, or use anything that puts them at risk for a fall, due to the pressure in the abdomen. For mine that are advanced, as this appears to be, I will provide them with a place on the ground to sleep, so that they don't have to roost, a small box or crate below the roosts will work. I also have a divided pen in my run that I will put them in when they get advanced so that the roo's don't bother them, and they can relax and be as slow as they need to be. But they are still right there with the flock and everyone can still see each other. I have a large plastic dog crate (airline crate) in there with shavings for them to sleep in. It's currently occupied by two of my old hens that are both blind. When they go off food and water, are obviously unwell and not really doing normal chicken things anymore, that is when I euthanize. As long as they are behaving fairly normal, albeit a bit slow, I leave them be. I've had them live as much as 18-24 months in some cases, many will pass quicker than that, it's pretty hard to predict and dependent on what the actual underlying issue is. Some of them will also develop crop problems, slow crops or complete stasis in some cases as what is going on in the abdomen slows or stops digestion, so that is another clue sometimes that things are getting pretty advanced.

 

[Bawkbok]

We experienced what you're describing and Coach723 provided great information and suggestions on how to help them still be a chicken for as long as they can if it is a reproductive issue. Walking ramps or ladders becomes difficult for them.

I would cut the vent feathers off as close as possible but leave the shafts as much as you can without the feathering. You'll want to keep her as clean as possible. Soaking can be stressful and many of them don't like it.

When does quality of life really go down?

With our hen that eventually died of EYP she lived a short 14 months with the condition her entire life and we made her as comfortable as possible, but eventually they get to the point where it looks painful for them to even walk (penguin style), scratching and foraging all but stops, they lay around more until that hurts too much on their belly so they just stand still for long periods of time. You will know when it's time to euthanize; if you start thinking it's time, then it is.
I'm sorry she's going through this.