Tumor or Infection? Sick Silkie please help!

[Zackriel]

Hello everyone, I have a Silkie Hen named honey who has swollen wattles, one very much more than the other and she also has some swelling around her ear area (see photos). The swelling feels quite solid and I am wondering if she has an infection or cancer. Any help will be much appreciated, I answered the questions about her below:
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Honey is a Silkie who is about one year old , I have no one to help me weigh her right now (she will not stay still) but she seems light and thin to me
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She has a very swollen wattle, the other is too but not so much, she also has some swelling around her ear and face. Other than that she is a bit quieter, more sleepy and slower than usual. She has some diarrhoea too and feels thin but she is still wandering around and eating/drinking
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
She has been a bit quieter for a few days, I did not notice the swelling until today as she usually is quite timid and quick (she also has a very fluffy head as silkies often do)

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
She is in a pen with one other Silkie who seems completely fine and has no signs of any swelling
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I have no idea
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
At the moment she is drinking water, eating scratch mix with pellets and any plants/insects she finds
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Looks stuck to her butt feathers and has that diarrhoea smell

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
I have separated her from the other hen, given her food and water

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I am considering starting a course of penicillin or tetracycline, I will need to look up the dosage

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help
See below

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
A wooden nest box off of the ground with hay, she usually perches in the doorway to sleep though

Thank you for taking time to read this

 

[azygous]

What is your location? That can affect what disease this might be.

 

[Zackriel]

What is your location? That can affect what disease this might be.

I live in Australia

 

[Eggcessive]

It may be a skin cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma, but hard to know for sure without a vet diagnosis. Leukosis or Mareks virus can also cause tumors. Usually with tumors, when they are lanced or probed with a needle, it bleeds, compared to an abscess containing yellow solid pus cells.

 

[azygous]

Australia is currently free of the main contagious avian diseases such as Newcastle and avian influenza, so I would lean toward this being a squamous cancer as @Eggcessive mentioned.

It's generally slow growing, but will eventually metastasize.

 

[Zackriel]

Thank you both so much for your replies @azygous @Eggcessive , I really appreciate it. I am tempted to probe it with a needle as you said just to make sure it is not an infection but at the same time I’m pretty sure you’re both right and I don’t want to cause her any pain. I gather she will pass soon if that is the case and if not should I put her down? I just don’t want her to suffer if there is nothing I can do for her

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get someone to help, and wrap her in a towel. Sterilize the needle or a disposable scalpel blade, and lance it. Then you would be pretty sure whether or not to do more. If there is a chance that she was pecked or injured herself, it might be an abscess or healing injury.

 

[Zackriel]

I would get someone to help, and wrap her in a towel. Sterilize the needle or a disposable scalpel blade, and lance it. Then you would be pretty sure whether or not to do more. If there is a chance that she was pecked or injured herself, it might be an abscess or healing injury.

Thanks @Eggcessive , I will try and lance it when I have someone here to help me which will be tomorrow. Should I get some numbing cream for her? In the meantime I’ve put her on a penicillin just in case (leftover human medication) and I’m giving her 125mg twice a day as that is what I read the dosage is

 

[Eggcessive]

Usually lidocaine, pramine, and other numbing medicines are avoided in chickens without a vet.

 

[azygous]

The reason humans get numbed up when they get operated on is because pain makes them crazy. Chickens feel pain, but they do not go crazy with it as we do. They handle it with what seems to be grace.