Hello I am in deperate need of some ideas and clues.

[Kerri Ladybug]

My little girl (black silkie hen) is very sick and i have to decide her fate. I will describe her symptoms and if anyone has any guess of what this could be, or better, experience with this illness, please post. I need to help her. I have been researching for days for a solution.

She is one year and a half. She was sitting nicely on eggs for days, but got sloppy about it and then eventually quit. She was not wanting to eat. She has a lump under the eyes. I have been giving her Tetracycline meds in the water. she drinks. I noticed now she has a hard lump on her throat, not in. It is hard and about the size of a penny. I think it prevents her to eat solids. She breathes with the mouth open sometimes.

I have made her food into a powder and then make a mash. I syringe feed her, but it is a daunting task. Now i have found 3 big hard lumps the size of coins on the back of her neck and body under the feathers.

This chicken is my pet (i have 5 and she is separated right now from the rest). The rest are fine. Does this sound like tumors and/or cancer. Is it best to euthanize her or keep syringe feeding her. She walks around, but is getting thin. I think she may need to go bye bye. It will be difficult to cull her because she gets happy when she sees me, follows me and cries. But i cannot let her suffer if she will pass eventually anyway.

Also, what are some good culling methods that you use that are humane. I have 2 options i will do if need be. I look forward to some advice because i need to decide if she needs to be euthanized, which will be difficult.

Thanks.

Kerri

 

[Dar]

the lumps are spreading.. i would say cull..

hatchet method or broomstick method would be the easiest.

 

[Alethea]

I'm not experienced in chicken diseases but for anyone else it sounds like cancer. Maybe some morphine or similar medication might ease her breathing and give her a chance to die comfortably.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Cancer doesn't spread that fast, maybe croup bound, but she's definetely in distress, and most likely will not last much longer, sorry you are going through this. Personally I don't like to let an animal suffer if I have the ability to end it's misery. I seriously doubt anyone in the usa would give you morphine for a chicken - that would just not happen.
A tough decision for you to make, only you can make it. Poor little bird

 

[chkn]

It sounds like Mareks from what I've been reading here. There are some interesting threads on Hypericum as a treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=544736
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=544736
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6994665
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=135247

 

[Kerri Ladybug]

thank you for all these wonderful suggestions. It is difficult isn't it to know what it is without doing veterinary tests. I culled her last night, and honestly it traumatized me. I have never killed one of my pets before and i did not want to hurt her. But keeping her alive may have been hurting her too. She was a pet (i have 5 silkies) and she would get excited to see me(happy sounds and following me, sitting with me). Actually, sometimes she would cry really loud until i picked her up. She'd be so relaxed that her legs would hang when i held her. So imagine having to take a pet like this and then killing it.

It was a mercy death i called it. I made a home-made gas chamber that is humane for animals under 2 pounds and is humane. It's simple with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to make carbon dioxide which causes them to pass out and die without suffering.
(too long to explain here).

I do like the broom sticking idea better because it's quicker and simpler. After she died i practiced this on her once to know how hard to pull without causing pain in case i do it wrong(my biggest fear). To be prepared in the future.

I am glad that someone else here thinks it's cancer. Of course it could not come that fast -i agree. She must have had it for a while because the bumps were well hidden under the puffy feathers. It was the one on the throat that i think was the main cause of her not being able to swallow solids after some time.

This was very traumatic for me because i heard a cry during the dying. I appreciate. ALL THE SUPPORT and great advices.

R.I.P. my little one

.

 

[Kerri Ladybug]

Quote:
thank you so much. I will check this out.