Chicken with brood patch has lump under it

[astuemky]

hey all! I have a brown leghorn that for some reason has always picked out her own chest feathers. She’s not even a year old, and lays great eggs for us.she doesn’t exhibit other brooding behavior like trying to sit on her eggs all the time so we’ve just let her be. The brood patch never seems to bother her and it never seems horrible. But now it has developed a lump under it. I suspect it may be that she picked too much and it got infected but not sure how to verify that or how to treat it. I’m not in favor of taking our chickens to the vet but also don’t want her to die a very painful death. Anyone have any thoughts? She’s a bit wild so couldn’t get closer pictures but hopefully you can see how big the lump is. Thanks for the help!

 

[staceyj]

Oh gosh!
Has no one else seen this thread?
I’m so sorry.

Have you been able to feel it?
I’m looking for descriptors from you like soft, hard, squishy, lumpy...
Is there any oozing?
Is it yellow, black, red, raw, regular skin color?

It’s Late now.
Any chance you could catch her first thing in the morning before she leaves the coop and get a better look at it and closer picture ?

It could be any number of things from an abscesses breast blister, an impacted crop, a pendulous crop...

 

[Eggcessive]

It does sound like a breast blister that has abscessed. Here is some info and a picture of a breast blister or keel cyst:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/breast-blister

 

[astuemky]

Thank you both! I will try to catch her in the morning and see if there’s any discharge and what it feels like. I’ll post an update. Thank you!

 

[astuemky]

I couldn’t catch her this morning but the lump looked slightly smaller and her chest wasn’t so red. I wonder if she just irritated it with too much picking yesterday. I’m going to try to get my husband to help me corral her tonight. Thanks again!

 

[Molpet]

could also be a pendulous crop
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/pendulous-crop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/eleanors-story-living-with-a-pendulous-crop.66318/

 

[rebrascora]

It looks like a pendulous crop to me and that would tie in with it being smaller in the morning. She may benefit from a crop bra. The easiest time to catch a chicken is whilst it is roosting at night. I would give her crop a good massage if that's what it looks like and there is no obvious wound or infection. Remove access to food and check her again in the morning. It may help to crate her overnight so you don't have to chase her down to feel it in the morning. If it is reduced but not empty it may be that she has a partial impaction and regular massage with coconut oil and restricted mushy food with no access to grass or straw or vegetation or grains or anything that would not pass through a kitchen sieve for a few days until you get it to fully empty. A pendulous crop occurs when a bird gorges and the crop stretches to the point that food hangs down below the outlet. This can lead to sour crop and she might peck at it due to the irritation of the yeast infection, so it may be that this has been coming on for longer than you think and is the cause of her pecking. Usually with sour crop, their breath will smell sour.
If you can let us know if it doesn't empty overnight (food must be removed otherwise she will top it up before you have time to check it in the morning) and any bad smell coming from her or alternatively if there is an actual sore or if it is solid like a tumour rather than her crop full of food and we will hopefully be able to guide you on treatment options from there.

 

[Eggcessive]

Check to see if the lump is on her keel (breast) bone or on the crop area. Pictures will help.