Is this cancer, or an injury with scar tissue

[Lesleyhg]

Hi there,
I have a dozen chickens and haven't had too many issues since they've been fenced in. I let them out for about 2 hours to free range while I'm home.

A couple days ago, I noticed that one of my barred rocks was acting slightly lethargic. While looking for mites, or signs of injury, I noticed that her wing was scabbed over. I assumed she had gotten injured a few days or weeks prior, and I just hadn't noticed. It didn't seem to be a huge deal.

The scab area has gotten bigger as of today, and seems to be thick, maybe infected inside but it's not leaking, and there's no blood. And then I noticed another scabbed area on her crop. She's eating and drinking, but sitting regularly and closing her eyes some today. She may die before tomorrow, who knows. I separated her now, into a brooder coop. As I finish writing this post, I'm going to offer her some rooster booster, antibiotics and some aspirin.

Can someone look at the pictures and tell me if you think this is possibly some type of cancer, or some common issue, and if / how I can treat it?

I'm not sure my husband will allow me to take a sick chicken to the vet vs. cull her if she's not going to improve.

Lastly, should I throw out any eggs that I have that may be hers, if it's cancer?

Thank you for your time and understanding.

 

[azygous]

Few cancers are contagious, and those are specific the species. So eggs are not a hazard.

But there are only two ways to confirm if this lesion is cancerous. One is having a biopsy examined by a lab. The other is to try to treat the lesion as a wound, and if it doesn't heal and continues to get worse, then we may assume cancer.

What I suggest is to prepare a soaking solution of warm Epsom salts and Betadine or some other wound antiseptic wash. Soak her wounds for fifteen or twety minutes to soften the scabs, and then try to debride by pulling off all blackened scabs and tissue. Then rinse well in saline, and dress with antibiotic ointment.

Reapply the ointment each day, and as long as you've begun an oral antibiotic, continue that. Then watch how it develops. If it heals, it's not cancer. If it worsens despite all you've done, it's likely a very common squamous skin cancer. I have had a chicken with it, and suspect I currently have another.

Whether you decide at that point to cull or permit the chicken to live as long as she is not showing signs of being in pain is up to you. But chickens can live months and years with these external cancers.

You can tell if a chicken is in pain if she isolates, pecks at the lesion, or screams if you put pressure on the lesion. If she stops eating, that means she's ready for her suffering to be over.