Rooster with lump on tummy (not looking good)

[AlaskaBookworm]

So our 5 week old rooster (named Rooster) has had a swollen tummy for weeks, and it just seems to get bigger and worse. Now it seems to be golf-ball sized and you can see intestines through the thin skin layer. He doesn’t seem to be hurting or sick, but should we cull him now to prevent any further suffering (such as just a huge lump in the future or having an exposed vulnerable spot with other roosters around) or should we just leave him be until he seems to be in pain? It’s a really sweet chicken, we’d hate to have to cull him or have him suffering.

 

[AlaskaBookworm]

(Also the photo was taken while he was wet, I was giving him a little bath)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So our 5 week old rooster (named Rooster) has had a swollen tummy for weeks, and it just seems to get bigger and worse. Now it seems to be golf-ball sized and you can see intestines through the thin skin layer. He doesn’t seem to be hurting or sick, but should we cull him now to prevent any further suffering (such as just a huge lump in the future or having an exposed vulnerable spot with other roosters around) or should we just leave him be until he seems to be in pain? It’s a really sweet chicken, we’d hate to have to cull him or have him suffering.

@casportpony @Eggcessive @coach723 any ideas?

I can only speculate that he may have an infection, possibly a hernia https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bulge-between-chicks-legs.1163225/#post-18311072
Is vet care an option for you?

What does his poop look like?
Does he eat/drink o.k.? Active?

 

[AlaskaBookworm]

@casportpony @Eggcessive @coach723 any ideas?

I can only speculate that he may have an infection, possibly a hernia https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bulge-between-chicks-legs.1163225/#post-18311072
Is vet care an option for you?

What does his poop look like?
Does he eat/drink o.k.? Active?

Vet care would be too much, but he seems to be fine. Active, eating and drinking, the lump doesn’t seem to hurt.

 

[coach723]

Since you can see intestines and he seems to be fine otherwise, it does sound like a hernia. Sometimes surgery is a fix, but many do not wish to spend that kind of money on a chicken. Sometimes it can be identified just by exam, sometimes they need xrays to really tell for sure. Many animals do fine, it's hard to predict. If it's getting bigger, that is not usually good. Here are some links that may help information-wise. If it's a hernia, they sometimes start when the skin around the umbilicus does not close up properly. Could be an issue with incubation/hatch, or could be congenital, no way to know for sure. If he tries to mount hens that could possibly be risky for him, and not sure I would want to hatch any from him and possibly have it be a passed on trait.
https://www.mvtimes.com/2012/06/13/differentiating-between-tumor-egg-hernia-11064/
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7991255&p=402479
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836766/
https://www.facebook.com/notes/wood...ens-and-geese/chicken-hernia/823227091069058/

 

[Eggcessive]

You have received good replies from others. I agree that it is probably an abdominal hernia. There have been hens who have had these hernias as well. There could be a potential problem someday if it is injured, especially if ther is another rooster around. But I cannot see any reason to cull him as long as he is doing well, and no one is picking on him.

 

[AlaskaBookworm]

Thank you for all the responses!

 

[AlaskaBookworm]

Great news, as of today his stomach has definitely shrunk down! He’s still got a bit of a lump but it’s not golf-ball sized. Maybe his hernia is fixing up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the update, and glad that he is doing better. Hopefully, he will continue to do well.

 

[slordaz]

sometimes if you catch it soon enough like with a new calf a small belly band, and in some countries they put them on a new born just in case,can be fashioned, helps protect it and lets it heal easier