Is this a tumor or some type of disease?

[SCchickens2011]

So I have just read through your thread on the issue you have been having. I agree it sounds like the answer may be culling her as sad as that is. My bigger concern though is the health of the rest of your flock as well as your neighbors flock. I did a little bit of research based on the photos you gave us and what some of the other members have said. While it does look like a very acute form of a cyst, the other symptoms you mentioned, not eating or drinking, no egg production etc make me very worried that it may very well be fowl cholera. One of the biggest give aways is that fowl who get this disease can have very acute cysts like the one in your pictures, and fowl cholera is a highly contagious disease that has a high mortality rate. I would strongly recommend that you have her checked by a vet or one of the universities that does the free testing so you can be sure and keep a very close eye on the rest of your flock and have your neighbor do so as well just to be on the safe side.

I know this link was posted previously but I think that this photo is very important lol. According to my research, "The most efficient treatment in breeding flocks or laying hens is individual intramuscular injections of a long-acting tetracyclines, with the same antibiotic in drinking water, simultaneously. The mortality and clinical signs will stop within one week. But the bacteria might remain present in the flock." So even if it's fowl cholera there is still hope for the rest of your flock.

http://www.poultrydisease.ir/Atlases/avian-atlas/search/examfinding/572.html


Hope this helps

so she is being culled as soon as possible, i called my neighbor this morning and warned her to make sure she scrubs her hands really well after she is done so she doesn't carry it back to her flock. i am going to use the Durmycin for the rest of the flock, dosages anyone? I know there is dosage information on the package but i want to make sure, i guess you can't OD on antibiotic necessarily but don't want to cause further problems. I was going to start it right away and then i guess this weekend i will be cleaning and sanitizing my hen house, roosts, feeders, nest boxes, etc. but not sure what to do about the hen yard, the soil will still carry contaminants/bacteria from what i read, at least until it gets dried out and the sun heats it up i guess. anyone have any ideas on any powders i can spread? also, is it adviseable to eat eggs from nmy hens while on the antibiotics, and/or can their eggs be affected by bacterial infections prior to treatment?

 

[SCchickens2011]

oh and i am calling my vet to see if either he would do a necropsy for free, or if he knows of anyone in the area that would, maybe our local college, the last resort aside from sending her carcass somewhere (which could be difficult) is to ask the high school's AG teacher, maybe he knows someone or could do it himself and see if he can diagnose it.

Anyone else have other ideas? I guess i could also call the BLM or AG Extension in my area, but i don't want to raise an alarm if you know what i mean!

 

[SCchickens2011]

there goes getting new chicks ths year!

 

[SCchickens2011]

oh and i am calling my vet to see if either he would do a necropsy for free, or if he knows of anyone in the area that would, maybe our local college, the last resort aside from sending her carcass somewhere (which could be difficult) is to ask the high school's AG teacher, maybe he knows someone or could do it himself and see if he can diagnose it.

Anyone else have other ideas? I guess i could also call the BLM or AG Extension in my area, but i don't want to raise an alarm if you know what i mean!

ok, my vet doesn't see birds alive or dead, the ag Extension directed me to the Dept of Agriculture, the Dept of Ag doesn't/hasn't had a state vet for many years in my area, they directed me to call all the local vets to see if anyone will do it. if i call two more vets and get nowehere, i guess i will just treat as if she has fowl cholera and get my other girls on the antibiotic (which i was going to do anyway) and sanitize the coop and call it good.

 

[Maah]

Sorry about your hen, I know she meant a lot to you. The last set of pictures you posted look quite different than the first. I didn't realize it had affected her beak and inside her mouth as well. That poor girl. Sounds like you are doing what is right for her and the rest of your flock.

 

[SCchickens2011]

Sorry about your hen, I know she meant a lot to you. The last set of pictures you posted look quite different than the first. I didn't realize it had affected her beak and inside her mouth as well. That poor girl. Sounds like you are doing what is right for her and the rest of your flock.

i certainly hope so, i just cannot imagine how in the heck MY flock or she got it. i havent seen rodents around in this cold.

 

[SCchickens2011]

so she is being culled as soon as possible, i called my neighbor this morning and warned her to make sure she scrubs her hands really well after she is done so she doesn't carry it back to her flock. i am going to use the Durmycin for the rest of the flock, dosages anyone? I know there is dosage information on the package but i want to make sure, i guess you can't OD on antibiotic necessarily but don't want to cause further problems. I was going to start it right away and then i guess this weekend i will be cleaning and sanitizing my hen house, roosts, feeders, nest boxes, etc. but not sure what to do about the hen yard, the soil will still carry contaminants/bacteria from what i read, at least until it gets dried out and the sun heats it up i guess. anyone have any ideas on any powders i can spread? also, is it adviseable to eat eggs from nmy hens while on the antibiotics, and/or can their eggs be affected by bacterial infections prior to treatment?

anyone's advice on the eggs being okay to eat? would the bacteria that causes the cholera affect eggs? how safe is antibiotic if in the eggs? Etc. I am treating the whole flock so will I be able to keep any eggs?

 

[SCchickens2011]

anyone's advice on the eggs being okay to eat? would the bacteria that causes the cholera affect eggs? how safe is antibiotic if in the eggs? Etc. I am treating the whole flock so will I be able to keep any eggs?

should i get a vaccine like M-NINEVAX-C or do you think the Durmycin will do the job if given over a few days-weeks period?

 

[Maah]

For the Duramycin with the flock, 1 Tablespoon per gallon of water for the 800mg dosage for 7-14 days, make up fresh daily since it's only good for 24 hours. There is a 3 week withdrawal of the medicine from the chicken's systems, so you will need to toss any eggs during this time. Don't eat them, and don't feed them back to your flock. (Some say to feed them to the dogs.) Maybe you can get eggs from a friend or just buy from a store during this time. It might be a good time to wormer your flock as well, since you're going to need to dispose of the eggs anyways.

 

[SCchickens2011]

what kind of wormer?