Swollen lump on chickens face?

RaptorTender

In the Brooder
May 18, 2025
13
2
13
What is this and how do I fix it?
It feels firm but I didn’t poke too hard. Feels relative to an infected pimple or something.
I think it showed up yesterday as I usually check them in the mornings and don’t remember seeing this.
They are free range
 

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What is this and how do I fix it?
It feels firm but I didn’t poke too hard. Feels relative to an infected pimple or something.
I think it showed up yesterday as I usually check them in the mornings and don’t remember seeing this.
They are free range
If there's a bad odor, then it's likely Canker.

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/canker
 
If it really went from nothing to this bad in a short time frame (1-2 days) and wasn’t somehow overlooked for a lot longer, then I would suspect infection - which could include canker (with which I have no experience) but can also be the result of injury and a bacterial infection. I wouldn’t expect a cancer or other tumor to show up overnight, but infections from things like puncture wounds can get gnarly really fast in birds in just a day or two. Bacterial infections don’t necessarily smell and typically need the abscess material removed manually and the underlying area disinfected as an iterative process.
 
Can you see anything inside the beak on that side and elsewhere on the tongue or inside beak? The outside does have a similar appearance to a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. I would clean it off with your choice of disinfectant and watch it closely. If you see any yellow plaques inside the beak, I would treat for canker/trichomoniasis with metronidazole. Or see a vet if possible. Here are some links to read with pictures of skin cancer and canker/trich:
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

https://www.bhwt.org.uk/hen-health/health-problems/oral-canker/

https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/07/06/avian-trichomonosis-canker/
 
Can you see anything inside the beak on that side and elsewhere on the tongue or inside beak? The outside does have a similar appearance to a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. I would clean it off with your choice of disinfectant and watch it closely. If you see any yellow plaques inside the beak, I would treat for canker/trichomoniasis with metronidazole. Or see a vet if possible. Here are some links to read with pictures of skin cancer and canker/trich:
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

https://www.bhwt.org.uk/hen-health/health-problems/oral-canker/

https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/07/06/avian-trichomonosis-canker/
This is what it looks like now. I do not see any spots inside the mouth, granted I can’t hold it open very well. But theres almost like a spit substance coating in her mouth and there’s a clear ish fluid leaking from the scab that’s formed. So this will have to be lanced? Is there a medicine like Benadryl to calm chickens down enough to do that? She squirms a lot
 

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I am not sure that I would attempt to lance that. I am very suspicious of that being cancer. If you do want to explore it, having a helper, wrapping her in a towel and covering her eyes, then you could see what the material looks like inside. But I would probably clean it with Betadine, and watch it if you cannot see a vet. Vets seldom are used to treating chickens, and are so very expensive. Skin cancers may grow slowly as @azygous has posted before, but this lesion seems to have grown fast. Usually, the best money spent is to get a necropsy after death if you lose her to find out what the growth was. If you do that, please post here your necropsy results. What state are you in? Here is a good list of state vet labs to contact for a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...L5h4Xt137GBu32pWJZSRUY5DYhQyVrd4ODmF-Ab8otocc
 

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