My older EE hen, Daisy, was a little limpy, so I checked her all over, but found nothing, no bumblefoot, just found her to be a little light weight. So, I set her up by herself to eat in peace & her appetite was great. I gave calcium supplement, as sometimes a hen may go lame & just need calcium. She laid a few eggs, but she wasn't gaining weight despite her great appetite. I'd take her out & let her peck around, eat chickweed & some mealworms, but saw her limping still. Every week I'd have her out & about to visit her flock, but 2 weeks later she was the same.
I had her on my lap last week, checked her over very carefully, no mites, no injuries, no bumblefoot, nothing wrong with her legs.
So...now I just checked her again, and there's a huge lump, it is on her back, high up above the thigh & femur area, under her right wing. It wasn't there before. It does not feel like an abcess, it is firm, but I aspirated it with a large gauge needle to see if anything drained...I got nothing & she didn't even flinch, she played with my plaid shirt sleeve the whole time . I felt the lump & rubbed it, some of her feathers came out easily, so I removed more to see what I could see...any color changes, possible staph, any tiny ooze spot, the skin, etc. I saw nothing odd, & cannot believe how large the lump is without feathers hiding it. It's Bigger than a baseball! She acts starving yet has lost more weight...makes me think cancer. She walks around in good spirits pecking & eating, but still limps. I have a bad feeling that this is a malignant tumor. The only good thing right now is that she doesn't seem to have pain. When I touched that lump, she just sat on my lap, happily preening herself or my sleeve, as always.
Well, can I get your opinion? We do not have any vets here, that give a hoot about chickens. Daisy is not a young hen. I've removed a few surface lumps & stitched up a few injuries over the years, but this is quite large.
I think, like an iceberg, it may be even larger on the inside. Unfortunately, euthanasia may be best so she doesn't suffer. Has anyone else here ever had something similar?
I had her on my lap last week, checked her over very carefully, no mites, no injuries, no bumblefoot, nothing wrong with her legs.
So...now I just checked her again, and there's a huge lump, it is on her back, high up above the thigh & femur area, under her right wing. It wasn't there before. It does not feel like an abcess, it is firm, but I aspirated it with a large gauge needle to see if anything drained...I got nothing & she didn't even flinch, she played with my plaid shirt sleeve the whole time . I felt the lump & rubbed it, some of her feathers came out easily, so I removed more to see what I could see...any color changes, possible staph, any tiny ooze spot, the skin, etc. I saw nothing odd, & cannot believe how large the lump is without feathers hiding it. It's Bigger than a baseball! She acts starving yet has lost more weight...makes me think cancer. She walks around in good spirits pecking & eating, but still limps. I have a bad feeling that this is a malignant tumor. The only good thing right now is that she doesn't seem to have pain. When I touched that lump, she just sat on my lap, happily preening herself or my sleeve, as always.
Well, can I get your opinion? We do not have any vets here, that give a hoot about chickens. Daisy is not a young hen. I've removed a few surface lumps & stitched up a few injuries over the years, but this is quite large.
I think, like an iceberg, it may be even larger on the inside. Unfortunately, euthanasia may be best so she doesn't suffer. Has anyone else here ever had something similar?
