I have a 7-8 year old hen who has had lumps inside her neck for the past year. She is in general is a good weight and seems happy. There is one big one which varies in size from a grape to a large marble I guess, and a few smaller ones. All are very round.
Before I noticed the tumours she had shown symptoms of Mycoplasma (swollen eyelids, bubbly/watery eyes, breathing problems) and I have read that Mycoplasma can cause damage to the thymus: (https://veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13567-020-00777-x)
Could that lead to growths on the thymus or the thymus becoming swollen? I have also read that Marek's tumours can originate on the thymus and then spread further, but she is not showing any other symptoms of Marek's and she has been like this for around a year now.
Another thing to note is she seems to have a problem with her feathers or skin - she is in moult at the moment and they do not seem to be growing back very fast and a lot are stuck inside their casings for weeks on end. When she is touched she will start preening as if the touching is irritating her skin, and she has a lot of feather cysts, as well as an ear infection currently. I plan to take her to the vet (she has already been a few times this year) but I wanted to hear some ideas of what could be going on. Thanks!
Before I noticed the tumours she had shown symptoms of Mycoplasma (swollen eyelids, bubbly/watery eyes, breathing problems) and I have read that Mycoplasma can cause damage to the thymus: (https://veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13567-020-00777-x)
Could that lead to growths on the thymus or the thymus becoming swollen? I have also read that Marek's tumours can originate on the thymus and then spread further, but she is not showing any other symptoms of Marek's and she has been like this for around a year now.
Another thing to note is she seems to have a problem with her feathers or skin - she is in moult at the moment and they do not seem to be growing back very fast and a lot are stuck inside their casings for weeks on end. When she is touched she will start preening as if the touching is irritating her skin, and she has a lot of feather cysts, as well as an ear infection currently. I plan to take her to the vet (she has already been a few times this year) but I wanted to hear some ideas of what could be going on. Thanks!