hen presented with bleeding bulge on top of leg - pics inside

Pics
Date sort Score sort
thistlewick

thistlewick

Crowing
Premium Feather Member
May 11, 2024
780
2,842
336
Central NC - rural acreage
Yesterday afternoon I saw Toffee limping the SLIGHTEST bit.

Yesterday evening while sitting out with them at bedtime she left bloody! footprints up to the hen house. After she went to roost my husband held her gently while I cleaned out the wound with saline. Had nothing else in the house - ashamed of myself for not even having hydrogen peroxide, jeesh.

Anyway, is this a wound from an injury? a cancer? She is acting normally, her egg 2 days ago was weirdly shaped and not her usual color, but yesterday's egg was completely normal. She is eating and foraging and acting like her sweet self.

Just wondering what this is.

PXL_20250322_235047588.jpg


any help is great, thanks.

I have no intention of taking her to a vet or anything, but if I can treat her myself I will.
 
I'm not an expert but to me it looks like she may have caught it on something. Saline is a very good choice for cleaning it, BTW. Keep an eye on her, and ( the others for pecking) , maybe put some triple antibiotic ointment on it. If it's an injury, it should heal fine, if it doesn't heal like you would expect, then it's probably cancer.
 
It looks like she was injured somehow. I would inspect it for any opening where a bone is going through the skin, but it looks like she could have gotten it stuck inside of something and injured it on the way out. It looks like the hock joint. Was anyone pecking at her when you found her? I agree that saline is fine to wash it and use antibiotic ointment twice daily. Is she able to stand and walk? I would probably have her rest her leg for a few days in a wire dog crate with food and water, but kept near the others for support.
 
Eggcessive said:
It looks like she was injured somehow. I would inspect it for any opening where a bone is going through the skin, but it looks like she could have gotten it stuck inside of something and injured it on the way out. It looks like the hock joint. Was anyone pecking at her when you found her? I agree that saline is fine to wash it and use antibiotic ointment twice daily. Is she able to stand and walk? I would probably have her rest her leg for a few days in a wire dog crate with food and water, but kept near the others for support.
Click to expand...
Yeah this sounds like Toffee - she is inquisitive and brave and extremely independent.

No one has pecked at it that I could see, she doesn't hang out with the chickens all day - she mostly forages and ranges out on her own. I rarely see her. We have 24 acres and we're surrounded by acreage and woods and hedges.

I picked up some hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic spray and triple antibiotic ointment and will care for her tonight. Will see if anyone tries pecking at her as well.
 
Peroxide can damage the skin if used more than once. I would mix some saline by dissolving 1/2 tsp of salt into an 8 ounce cup of water. That is the same pH as tissue, and works well on cleaning wounds. Triple antibiotic ointment can be applied twice a day.
 
Eggcessive said:
Peroxide can damage the skin if used more than once. I would mix some saline by dissolving 1/2 tsp of salt into an 8 ounce cup of water. That is the same pH as tissue, and works well on cleaning wounds. Triple antibiotic ointment can be applied twice a day.
Click to expand...
Oh I did not know about hydrogen peroxide - interesting!

Okay I have a ton of saline so will use that. Thanks so much for all of your help!
 
Well, we found Toffee this evening, dead at the base of a tree.

Her abscess was bloody -- not sure if another chicken went for it or not -- I never saw any of them try and do that to her, but that does not mean it did not happen.

I found a pic of her from 3.12.25 and she had the abscess, but it was smaller;

PXL_20250312_224647357.jpg
toffee312.png


I really don't know what this could be. She was acting perfectly normal save for a slight limp.

I was pretty upset though, she was a favorite. A *great* layer - she has not missed a day since she began Sep 13, 2024 - and she was our first layer. I have her first fairy egg here on my desk.

I wish she could have had a long life, but I know she had a great one. She was SO loved.

We have 2 ladies going possibly broody. We are thinking we just might hatch out some of Toffee's eggs <3
 

Similar threads

S
    • Wow
Flock attacked hen
Replies
8
Views
637
LaFleche
LaFleche
LakeGirlHens
    • Like
Help hen has wound under wing
Replies
3
Views
512
LakeGirlHens
LakeGirlHens
Papaye
    • Wow
Duck SUDDENLY bleeding from belly and vent
Replies
3
Views
236
Papaye
Papaye
H
Limp-soft shells-lethargic
Replies
1
Views
153
coach723
coach723
franciemayhem
    • Like
Buff Orpington Hen Limping
Replies
2
Views
245
OrpingtonManiac
OrpingtonManiac

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom