Scabby growth on chicken's lower chest

[AustralorpAus]

I've recently noticed this scab-like growth (pictured below) on my Australorp's lower chest near the breastbone. The scab bit is hard and keratinized in appearance and the feathers around it are withered. She doesn't like me touching it but apart from that is behaving and eating normally. She's had no recent injuries, does not lay eggs, is the only bird in her flock, and is around eight years old. She started moulting lightly about a month ago. Has anyone seen something like this before? Should I continue to monitor if it grows or take her to the vet now? Thank you for any help!

Edit: After further research is it possible that this is a blister caused by the chicken sitting down a lot in damp soil? Being elderly she likes to spend most of her time sitting out in soil in the garden and it has been raining a lot recently.

Another cause could have been from her perching area. About a year ago her coop was attacked and damaged beyond a repair by a fox so we moved her into the laundry. She's safer there but she has been perching on the back of a chair and not a regular perch.

 

[The WinterWolf]

I've recently noticed this scab-like growth (pictured below) on my Australorp's lower chest near the breastbone. The scab bit is hard and keratinized in appearance and the feathers around it are withered. She doesn't like me touching it but apart from that is behaving and eating normally. She's had no recent injuries, does not lay eggs, is the only bird in her flock, and is around eight years old. She started moulting lightly about a month ago. Has anyone seen something like this before? Should I continue to monitor if it grows or take her to the vet now? Thank you for any help!

Edit: After further research is it possible that this is a blister caused by the chicken sitting down a lot in damp soil? Being elderly she likes to spend most of her time sitting out in soil in the garden and it has been raining a lot recently.

Another cause could have been from her perching area. About a year ago her coop was attacked and damaged beyond a repair by a fox so we moved her into the laundry into safety where she has been perching on the back of a chair.
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can i see where it is on her? it looks infected. all i can do is cheer you on. good luck!

 

[AustralorpAus]

can i see where it is on her?

Thank you so much for your kind message! In the photo she's upside down with the injury on her breast bone just before her legs. I'm really hoping it's treatable and not infected. I would be devastated losing her

 

[The WinterWolf]

i'm pretty sure people put saline or something on it. i'm going to do more research and find the threads first..

 

[The WinterWolf]

ok.. from what i can tell, someone needs to flag the experts.. i can't really help, sorry.

@azygous (i hear people flag you alot. maybe you know?)

 

[abpatchy]

This is probably from your perch. When they sit at night it rubs and causes areas like that. A flat surface perch is better than a round perch. Maybe it needs cleaning or is just too rough? I'm just guessing.
I would clean it and maybe put some sort of ointment on.

 

[The WinterWolf]

This is probably from your perch. When they sit at night it rubs and causes areas like that. A flat surface perch is better than a round perch. Maybe it needs cleaning or is just too rough? I'm just guessing.
I would clean it and maybe put some sort of ointment on.

i think saline from what i can tell.

 

[DobieLover]

This is probably from your perch. When they sit at night it rubs and causes areas like that. A flat surface perch is better than a round perch. Maybe it needs cleaning or is just too rough? I'm just guessing.
I would clean it and maybe put some sort of ointment on.

Agreed. It looks like a breast blister.
I would thoroughly clean it and spray it with Vetericyn or some other poultry disinfectant.
Can you post pictures of your roosts? They are typically to blame for breast blisters.

 

[azygous]

If she's still in the house, take that chair away. It's much too narrow to serve as a proper perch. And until she heals, she will need padding wherever she is going to be sleeping. She would do better in a basket sleeping on a pillow.

Wound care. You will need to tend to it each day to get it to heal.

Step one. Give her daily soaks, fifteen minutes, in warm Epsom salts. Then gently pull off any loose scabs or tissue. This is called debriding and it's necessary to get rid of any dead or infected tissue that harbors bacteria. After the third day, the wound should be squared away.

Step two. Use Vetericyn spray on the cleaned wound. Let dry. Smooth on a generous layer of antibacterial ointment. This is most important to keep the tissue moist so new tissue has a good environment to grow and colonize the wound.

Do this until you see a nice new smooth layer of new skin.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would tend to just hold a warm wet compress on the breast blister abscess, once a day, and coat that with a little chlorhexidene (Hibiclens from the pharmacy) or betadine for disinfection. Clean it off with water after 15 minutes and remove any pus, then apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment. Breast blisters are indeed caused by pressure on the breast bone from roosting on a rough roost, on damp ground for long periods of time. Very similar to a pressure sore.