i have a 17 or so month old bantam cochin/wyandotte roo who i just found 2 days ago had a gold ball sized growth near his tail area (close to the oil gland but it certainly is not the gland). he appears to be going through his molt so i thought it could have something to do with his new feathers starting to come in.
this roo has been a sweet and fun boy for me but he doesn't usually allow me to pick him up often to look him over thoroughly. when he's not under or near my feet he will usually run from me trying to reach to touch his fluffy tush!
i do know i picked him up a week ago and don't remember feeling or seeing this HUGE lump.
i also bathed him about 2 months ago and it wasn't present then or it wasn't noticeable if it was there. when i saw it 2 days ago it was scabbed over and not bleeding but i had found a small glob of blood on the fresh shavings so i know it had been picked at by either him or one of my other roos he has been in with. (he's a very social boy with all the other boys in the coop but no one bothers him!)
when i brought him in and gave him a bath this morning before leaving for my company's picnic i looked the growth over and it was still dry and not bleeding or opened at all. after his bath and drying him off a little i put him in the shower stall so he could continue to take care of his grooming which he was doing a good job and seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being cleaned and de-bugged, and had his food and water! he had a good attitude and nice bright comb and wattles when i left! when i got home about 4 hours later i went to check on him and found he had ripped and chewed a huge gash in the growth and blood was splattered on the lower part of the shower walls.
i found some of the chunks he had cut off himself and they looked fleshy and not puss filled. his wattles and comb were pale and i know he was not feeling well since he had not finished drying himself off or continued grooming the feathers near his tail area. (btw, my house has been in the 80's around here so he was warm enough i think to let him groom the remaining damp feathers)
the open wound/growth looked like it was full of flesh and nothing like it could have been a bug like a gape worm wound (don't think we have those bugs up here ). it also did not have any kind of puss or backed up junk like i would expect if it was a backed up/infected follicle. it seems to feel solid and not mushy. i have cleaned out the wound and put antibiotic ointment on it (no painkiller) to keep it from getting infected and he seemed to feel some relief when i did that. brought him out in a towel and let him rest on the couch with me for a little while. he refused to eat or drink for a few hours but his wattles and comb have regained some color, but still not his full, bright red again.
i just want to know if this could be a feather follicle that could have become inflamed somehow and i just have not gotten down the to the infected area of the growth, or if this is probably a tumor that showed up very quickly? and can a tumor grow within a few days to the size of a golf ball?
thanks in advance to anyone with some insight to this! i can get a pic of him and the wound/growth tomorrow evening when i get home from work if that might help anyone. he has been a sweet little boy and i really hate the idea of having to put him down but i know it may have to be done and dh has already offered to take care of it if he doesn't improve or if it is a tumor.
this roo has been a sweet and fun boy for me but he doesn't usually allow me to pick him up often to look him over thoroughly. when he's not under or near my feet he will usually run from me trying to reach to touch his fluffy tush!
when i brought him in and gave him a bath this morning before leaving for my company's picnic i looked the growth over and it was still dry and not bleeding or opened at all. after his bath and drying him off a little i put him in the shower stall so he could continue to take care of his grooming which he was doing a good job and seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being cleaned and de-bugged, and had his food and water! he had a good attitude and nice bright comb and wattles when i left! when i got home about 4 hours later i went to check on him and found he had ripped and chewed a huge gash in the growth and blood was splattered on the lower part of the shower walls.
the open wound/growth looked like it was full of flesh and nothing like it could have been a bug like a gape worm wound (don't think we have those bugs up here ). it also did not have any kind of puss or backed up junk like i would expect if it was a backed up/infected follicle. it seems to feel solid and not mushy. i have cleaned out the wound and put antibiotic ointment on it (no painkiller) to keep it from getting infected and he seemed to feel some relief when i did that. brought him out in a towel and let him rest on the couch with me for a little while. he refused to eat or drink for a few hours but his wattles and comb have regained some color, but still not his full, bright red again.
i just want to know if this could be a feather follicle that could have become inflamed somehow and i just have not gotten down the to the infected area of the growth, or if this is probably a tumor that showed up very quickly? and can a tumor grow within a few days to the size of a golf ball?
thanks in advance to anyone with some insight to this! i can get a pic of him and the wound/growth tomorrow evening when i get home from work if that might help anyone. he has been a sweet little boy and i really hate the idea of having to put him down but i know it may have to be done and dh has already offered to take care of it if he doesn't improve or if it is a tumor.
