Feather cyst or something else?

[MandaPanda106]

Hi all!
First year with chickens and trying to take care of my girl here. Originally we thought she had a broken blood feather. Now I’m not sure what this is? A feather cyst? An abscess? I have a needle and scalpel at the ready. Do you recommend I cut/drain this? Thank you so much!!

 

[MandaPanda106]

Hi all!
First year with chickens and trying to take care of my girl here. Originally we thought she had a broken blood feather. Now I’m not sure what this is? A feather cyst? An abscess? I have a needle and scalpel at the ready. Do you recommend I cut/drain this? Thank you so much!!

On further inspection, I believe that black hardened mass is preventing the feathers from growing through correctly. How would y’all suggest I remove it? There are a few feathers that it’s grown around (I suspected a clot, but now I don’t know) so I don’t want to cause more issues for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be a feather cyst, but it also could be a tumor. Is the hard scab from a possible spur injury? Can you get a better picture of the black scab? I would clean that with some Hibiclens or Betadine, and apply some plain Neosporin triple antibiotic ointment twice a day. You can look for an ingrown feather inside of the growth, but it would be good to find out what the scab is from first.

 

[MandaPanda106]

It could be a feather cyst, but it also could be a tumor. Is the hard scab from a possible spur injury? Can you get a better picture of the black scab? I would clean that with some Hibiclens or Betadine, and apply some plain Neosporin triple antibiotic ointment twice a day. You can look for an ingrown feather inside of the growth, but it would be good to find out what the scab is from first.

Here’s hopefully a better picture for you. I have been cleaning/treating. I’m thinking today I’m going to soak her wing and see if the scab softens and I can remove it. I thought it was an old clot, but I have no idea now. In the photo, neosporin is on it, so it looks shiny/gooey, but it’s very dry otherwise

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes skin cancer can have a scabby appearance. Chickens can suffer from various types of cancer, skin cancers and lymphatic cancers from viruses such as Mareks and leukosis. I hope this is just a spur injury and a feather cyst. Keep us posted on how she is doing.

 

[MandaPanda106]

Sometimes skin cancer can have a scabby appearance. Chickens can suffer from various types of cancer, skin cancers and lymphatic cancers from viruses such as Mareks and leukosis. I hope this is just a spur injury and a feather cyst. Keep us posted on how she is doing.

Thank you! This is all new to me. I’ll soak her wing and get her cleaned up and let her back out. If it is cancer, I’ll deal with it when the time is right. For now she’s still sassy and just mad at me from keeping her inside.