Please help. My sweet chick is four weeks old and has some sort of neck tumor!

[Amy Carter]

Bath?. . .Bath? Who had the bath? You or the chicken? I've never given a chicken a bath in my very long life. Anyway, this looks very painful and serious. Looks like it's been developing for some time. Obviously it's infected, which is not good. I'm sure this bird is in a lot of pain. You may have to cull it if you can't afford a vet, if you can find a vet that will see chickens. I hate to see the poor thing suffering. Good luck, let us all know what happens.

The bath was the bath was to soften and wash the hardened ooze before I applied antibiotic cream. She only acts in pain when I’m rubbing the cream on which I do as gently as possible. She’s eating and drinking well.

 

[azygous]

It's likely airsacculitis. It's an inflammation of an air sac caused by bacteria associated with a respiratory disease of which there are several. You can treat it with a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Where did this chick originate? It may have been exposed to a respiratory virus or bacteria such as E. coli.

 

[Amy Carter]

It's likely airsacculitis. It's an inflammation of an air sac caused by bacteria associated with a respiratory disease of which there are several. You can treat it with a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Where did this chick originate? It may have been exposed to a respiratory virus or bacteria such as E. coli.

Thank you. I got her from a local farm... the woman has a great rep in terms of quality and I went to her farm and it was clean and impeccably kept. I had antibiotics left over from treating a polish I adopted from someone who didn’t want to treat her. I gave this chick a dose and applied topical antibiotics. From what you said it seems like I may have accidentally done the right thing. I hope I see improvement tomorrow.

 

[azygous]

A private breeder may have very clean and neat premises, but not practice strict bio-security. This means not prohibiting people from walking through the runs and coops that may have come in from other places where there are chickens and disease.

Most certified hatcheries won't permit the public to step onto the premises where chickens are kept. Most viruses ride into a flock on the soles of people's shoes. You can bring a virus into your flock by wearing the same shoes your wore to go buy feed when going out to your run to feed it to your chickens.

 

[Amy Carter]

A private breeder may have very clean and neat premises, but not practice strict bio-security. This means not prohibiting people from walking through the runs and coops that may have come in from other places where there are chickens and disease.

Most certified hatcheries won't permit the public to step onto the premises where chickens are kept. Most viruses ride into a flock on the soles of people's shoes. You can bring a virus into your flock by wearing the same shoes your wore to go buy feed when going out to your run to feed it to your chickens.

Yikes. Ok. This darlin is quarantinednow. Hopefully my other babies will be ok.

 

[Amy Carter]

Yikes. Ok. This darlin is quarantinednow. Hopefully my other babies will be ok.

Actually, she’s four weeks old and left that farm on day two...

 

[azygous]

Viruses can infect then lie dormant until the right opportunistic bacteria comes along. If she does carry such a virus, the other chicks have already been exposed and they carry it also. I know. It's a shitty deal. But good care and treating illness when it crops up can keep your flock as healthy as an uninfected flock.

 

[Amy Carter]

Viruses can infect then lie dormant until the right opportunistic bacteria comes along. If she does carry such a virus, the other chicks have already been exposed and they carry it also. I know. It's a shitty deal. But good care and treating illness when it crops up can keep your flock as healthy as an uninfected flock.

Thank you so much. I should probably proactively stock up on antibiotics. Do you have a recommended choice going forward?

 

[casportpony]

It's likely airsacculitis. It's an inflammation of an air sac caused by bacteria associated with a respiratory disease of which there are several. You can treat it with a broad spectrum antibiotic.

If it's full of pus can it be treated without surgery?

 

[Amy Carter]

If it's full of pus can it be treated without surgery?

It’s not squishy like it’s a sac full of something it’s firmer like swollen flesh