Help! Could my chicken have a tumor? :(

[Katie H]

My Rhode Island Rock is just over 1 year old and is second from top chick in a flock of 4.

She has had a red bump on her breast for several months and it has never seemed to bother her. Sometimes we don’t notice it but other times, when she has a full crop, it protrudes and we can see it in the evenings. She’s the most human weary of the flock and is difficult to catch or weigh so we’ve never inspected further as she’s always been happy and she looks a good weight currently.

Two days ago she began showing symptoms of lethargy, hiding in bushes, loss of appetite and didn’t lay. She perked up by the evening after some ACV and yoghurt. Since then, she has been back to her almost normal self, preening, eating and joining the other girls free range around the garden.

Today we had to remove her from her nesting box which she stayed on and has been unusually agressive toward one of the other chickens. This evening she took herself back into a nesting box. I suspect she could be broody as we just had one complete a stint in broody jail!

We managed to catch her as she was laying on her next and finally looked at the golf ball sized bump and it does not look good! Does this look like a tumor she’s lived with for this long? Or could it be something else? I’m not sure if the symptoms from a few days ago were related to this but it’s a concern

Appreciate your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Are you certain it is not a full crop? If there is any doubt, it should be empty by morning. Is it over the crop or midline over her keel (breast) bone? Some chickens can develop a breast blister or callous over the breast bone from lying on the ground or on a rough roost.

 

[Katie H]

Are you certain it is not a full crop? If there is any doubt, it should be empty by morning. Is it over the crop or midline over her keel (breast) bone? Some chickens can develop a breast blister or callous over the breast bone from lying on the ground or on a rough roost.

Definitely not the crop as we wondered this ourselves early days, but it’s lower and more central, more like the keel bone area yes! I read briefly about breast blisters but wasn’t sure if there was any treatment we could administer to help? She doesn’t lie down very much except when she lays and sleeps. I’ll definitely see if there’s an issue on the roost with roughness.

The bump itself feels pretty solid and large and it wasn’t weepy. But it’s really quite red and the skin around it which does have feathers is normal and pale. The bump also appears flakey from where the skin has stretched and enlarged.

Other than just the other day, we’ve known her to have this for a while and it’s never noticeably bothered her. Will keep observing her closely and most likely quarantine her, especially if it looks like she’s turned broody.

 

[skennyjr]

My Rhode Island Rock is just over 1 year old and is second from top chick in a flock of 4.

She has had a red bump on her breast for several months and it has never seemed to bother her. Sometimes we don’t notice it but other times, when she has a full crop, it protrudes and we can see it in the evenings. She’s the most human weary of the flock and is difficult to catch or weigh so we’ve never inspected further as she’s always been happy and she looks a good weight currently.

Two days ago she began showing symptoms of lethargy, hiding in bushes, loss of appetite and didn’t lay. She perked up by the evening after some ACV and yoghurt. Since then, she has been back to her almost normal self, preening, eating and joining the other girls free range around the garden.

Today we had to remove her from her nesting box which she stayed on and has been unusually agressive toward one of the other chickens. This evening she took herself back into a nesting box. I suspect she could be broody as we just had one complete a stint in broody jail!

We managed to catch her as she was laying on her next and finally looked at the golf ball sized bump and it does not look good! Does this look like a tumor she’s lived with for this long? Or could it be something else? I’m not sure if the symptoms from a few days ago were related to this but it’s a concern

Appreciate your help!

Any update on this? Chicken still going strong? Similar thing with my golden comet popped up the other day. Never noticed it before.