Giant tumor - I think I need to cull?

[jennyinvermont]

I have a 9 month old barnvelder with what seems like a giant, bursting tumor on her chest. I think I likely need to cull her asap but wanted to check here first. I had noticed a protrusion from her chest but I assumed it was just her build. But today and yesterday she seemed unwell and on closer inspection it's definitely something abnormal. There are black spots on the skin and at least one opening. (She is super shy and I didn't want to hurt her doing a serious examination).
Behavior: has always seemed well (if my most shy), but yesterday was just standing under the coop, not being active. Today she was very slow to come out of the coop when I opened the door. She did come out, but very slowly, taking great care on the ramp, and a few mins after the rest. She ate but did not drink water. Ruffled her feathers a few times - it is bothering her.
After checking her out I put her back in the coop and she returned to normal behavior. And then came out of the coop again. I'm not sure if she's sleeping on the roost or the floor.
She was vaccinated for Mareks. Not sure if this could be a crop issue? But like I said she's had a bit of a protrusion for quite some time.
I can't imagine there is much I can do for her at this point but please let me know if you have suggestions. We are also leaving town tomorrow for 2 weeks, which is horrible timing. But a local farmer I know would be willing to come daily and treat/help her if there was something to be done. I don't want her to suffer more.
(And yes I should have caught the seriousness of this sooner, so I hear you if you're mad at me!)

 

[MysteryChicken]

How does it feel? Almost looks like a bad pendulous crop, with blockage.

The area you show looks like a possible injury(s). Can you clip away feathers to have a better look?

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like her crop may be bursting. Some hens develop pendulous crop, and it causes the crop to become distended and hard to ever empty. I’m sorry this is happening, but a vet may be your best bet.

 

[jennyinvermont]

Thanks. I took her in again (she was roosting!) to look at everything and clean it. It definitely looks like something is bursting through the skin. Having read about pendulous crop, that does seem like what she's had. But does it ever get this extreme? She has always eaten normally. Here's a couple more photos. To me it looks like when I've see pictures of tumors coming through skin. Her skin is all stretched. I feel like I have to kill before we go - how could this get better.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Personally, I would trim the feathers around her crop and assess the wounds before doing anything drastic. Some injuries often look horrific at first glance, but can heal well if cleaned and taken care of.

I would do some warm compresses over the scabs, clean up the area and then repost some pictures.

I also agree, if you can your best bet would be to get her to an avian or farm vet.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thanks. I took her in again (she was roosting!) to look at everything and clean it. It definitely looks like something is bursting through the skin. Having read about pendulous crop, that does seem like what she's had. But does it ever get this extreme? She has always eaten normally. Here's a couple more photos. To me it looks like when I've see pictures of tumors coming through skin. Her skin is all stretched. I feel like I have to kill before we go - how could this get better.
View attachment 2999018
View attachment 2999019

I haven't dealt with pendulous crop, but someone else may know what to do.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could well be a tumor, but it is in the vicinity of the crop when it hangs low. There are some viruses and that can cause tumors, as well as other types of tumors. Can you try to feel for the crop? Have you ever noticed her crop appearing very large? Could she have been pecking at her crop or could a predator have injured her crop? In this article is a picture of a huge pendulous crop:
https://poultrykeeper.com/digestive-system-problems/pendulous-crop/

Good advice to trim feathers and to do warm soaks to soften the scabs.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some info about pendulous crop treatment:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/pendulous-crop-in-backyard-chickens/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Chickeria]

Could this be a severely infected breast blister? Or can't those get that big?
I'm sorry your hen and you are going through this

 

[aart]

Could this be a severely infected breast blister?

My thought was a breast blister 'caused' by the pendulous crop.