Tumors on 13 Week Old Pullet?

[azygous]

Your situation is not only tragic and heart breaking, but maddeningly frustrating. By this time, I would be willing to do anything to get some answers. I would bet you are, too.

I strongly suggest you make plans to send any more chickens that die to the lab for necropsies. Taking into account there are different symptoms and issues involved, I see a possible common thread being weakened immune systems. That could indicate an avian virus is present in your flock.

 

[EmilyChickens]

So far she’s still acting okay.

Here’s what the other chick looks like that I mentioned. She’s becoming spoiled in the house since everyone was tripping over and pooping on her in the coop.
(she’s not fat like she looks, got a bath and blow-dry earlier so she’s fluffy)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Have you looked into Marek's disease?
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

I would make sure she is eating her chick starter well. She may benefit from 1/4 tablet human B-Complex daily for a couple of weeks.

If she is like that all the time with her leg stuck out, you can try her in a sling.
Some birds do well in a sling while others become stressed, so you would need to monitor her.

 

[EmilyChickens]

she’s either like that or this

She can get around a little bit but it’s only on one leg and she balances with her wings.
I’ve looked into Mareks, I mentioned that when I first posted the chick with the tumors, I know those can be a symptom as well.
I’ll look into a sling, that’s a great idea.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x Wyorp Rock = Sling & Vitamin B Complex

 

[EmilyChickens]

**graphic photo warning**
So things are looking uglier for this poor chicken with the lumps on her head. Checked on her this morning and one of them looks like it’s coming off? It looks like she’s going to have a hole in her head once it all dies off since it’s such a big chunk of flesh, so I’m flushing it with Chlorhexidine to keep everything clean. Sorry it’s kind of hard to picture what’s in the second photo, but it’s what’s underneath the chunk that’s now become a flap. I so wish I knew what was going on with this bird.



Thankfully aside from looking horrible, she’s still eating and drinking okay. She’s now inside with the white baby so that she doesn’t get picked on.

 

[Cyprus]

Wow. Yikes.
I just read this whole thread and my mind is shattered. I never get this flabbergasted.
Okay, that aside.

If I were you I would:

1. Contact Ideal asap and at least make them aware of the potential biosecurity hazard. It is not guaranteed that it came from them. It could have been picked up along your shipping route.
2. Next time order from another hatchery in another state, preferably in the opposite direction, to test the above.
3. Find and use baby aspirin at a ratio of 5 tablets to 1 gal water for pain relief
4. Locate and purchase catheters in 14 and 18 gage just in case you need to tube feed. Do so asap, and I mean asap. I have been there done that with the white chick and I didn't get the supplies until 3 weeks after purchase, 2 weeks post mortem
5. Do not put her in with the white chick. That just increases risk for further disease.
6. Sanatize yourself very, very well between all groups of birds

Where have your chicks been living? Is it possible they've been in contact with rodents or wild birds?
Have you visited people or places with other poultry at any time before the presentation of disease?

Just as important as treatment is the epidemiology. If you can track where you may have gotten it from you can likely stop a lot more problems.

I'm thinking your best course of action for the barred gal is the use triple antibiotic oitment on the wounds.
Also, this is purely speculation, I have read that periwinkle flowers act as a natural tumor suppressor. Specifically, Madagascar periwinkle. I don't know if you could find any kind of periwinkle, fresh or dried, but it may be worth considering.

Cyprus

 

[Eggcessive]

If this is Mareks disease, it wouldn’t be anyones’ fault or necessary to blame the hatchery. People do get viruses such as Mareks and lymphoid leukosis in their flocks sometimes. Those diseases can cause poor immunity to common diseases. It would be helpful to get a necropsy as recommended by Wyorp Rick to get a diagnosis. So sorry that you are dealing with this.

 

[EmilyChickens]

Wow. Yikes.
I just read this whole thread and my mind is shattered. I never get this flabbergasted.
Okay, that aside.

If I were you I would:

1. Contact Ideal asap and at least make them aware of the potential biosecurity hazard. It is not guaranteed that it came from them. It could have been picked up along your shipping route.
2. Next time order from another hatchery in another state, preferably in the opposite direction, to test the above.
3. Find and use baby aspirin at a ratio of 5 tablets to 1 gal water for pain relief
4. Locate and purchase catheters in 14 and 18 gage just in case you need to tube feed. Do so asap, and I mean asap. I have been there done that with the white chick and I didn't get the supplies until 3 weeks after purchase, 2 weeks post mortem
5. Do not put her in with the white chick. That just increases risk for further disease.
6. Sanatize yourself very, very well between all groups of birds

Where have your chicks been living? Is it possible they've been in contact with rodents or wild birds?
Have you visited people or places with other poultry at any time before the presentation of disease?

Just as important as treatment is the epidemiology. If you can track where you may have gotten it from you can likely stop a lot more problems.

I'm thinking your best course of action for the barred gal is the use triple antibiotic oitment on the wounds.
Also, this is purely speculation, I have read that periwinkle flowers act as a natural tumor suppressor. Specifically, Madagascar periwinkle. I don't know if you could find any kind of periwinkle, fresh or dried, but it may be worth considering.

Cyprus

We did contact Ideal earlier on, when the first and second batch of chicks were having issues and we were insanely unimpressed with their response, after telling them that the first batch was dying left and right and that the second batch had a RI (keep in mind we had these at separate times, none of the birds from the first group were alive when we had the second, there was no contact) they said something along the lines of “it sounds like they have a cold, you should try giving them antibiotics and keeping them warm”. Which obviously was what i had been doing, plus so much more.

I’ll definitely order from someone else the next time I need chicks, I am NOT dealing with this again. It breaks my heart to see them suffering, not to mention I’ve lost over a dozen birds that I paid for.

I believe we already have feeding tubes, not exactly sure what size but I will definitely double check in the morning. Right now the white one is still feisty and gets pissed when she can’t move where she wants and she’s eating/drinking like a champ. So aside from not being able to get around properly, she’s staying “active”.

I worry about separating the two, and they were together in the coop to begin with. The white one seemed stressed being by herself and the black one is acting better inside than she was out with the rest of the birds. They seem content with each other’s company (purposely sitting with each other and no one is picking on the other) and I don’t want to stress them out, but I do understand your concern.

The chicks free range with the rest of the flock and everyone else is healthy. I work at a farm with other chickens but it’s not like I go rub up on her chickens and come right home and touch mine. Earlier in the year I rescued a turkey poult from my dogs, raised it with the intentions of letting it go when it was big enough not to get easily taken by a predator, but it faithfully returned to my chicken run each night after being set loose. She’s since been taken by an owl though, but appeared to be a healthy bird.

I’ll start with the triple antibiotics for the black one, and both the white and black are getting this in the water.

 

[Cyprus]

We did contact Ideal earlier on, when the first and second batch of chicks were having issues and we were insanely unimpressed with their response, after telling them that the first batch was dying left and right and that the second batch had a RI (keep in mind we had these at separate times, none of the birds from the first group were alive when we had the second, there was no contact) they said something along the lines of “it sounds like they have a cold, you should try giving them antibiotics and keeping them warm”. Which obviously was what i had been doing, plus so much more.

I’ll definitely order from someone else the next time I need chicks, I am NOT dealing with this again. It breaks my heart to see them suffering, not to mention I’ve lost over a dozen birds that I paid for.

I believe we already have feeding tubes, not exactly sure what size but I will definitely double check in the morning. Right now the white one is still feisty and gets pissed when she can’t move where she wants and she’s eating/drinking like a champ. So aside from not being able to get around properly, she’s staying “active”.

I worry about separating the two, and they were together in the coop to begin with. The white one seemed stressed being by herself and the black one is acting better inside than she was out with the rest of the birds. They seem content with each other’s company (purposely sitting with each other and no one is picking on the other) and I don’t want to stress them out, but I do understand your concern.

The chicks free range with the rest of the flock and everyone else is healthy. I work at a farm with other chickens but it’s not like I go rub up on her chickens and come right home and touch mine. Earlier in the year I rescued a turkey poult from my dogs, raised it with the intentions of letting it go when it was big enough not to get easily taken by a predator, but it faithfully returned to my chicken run each night after being set loose. She’s since been taken by an owl though, but appeared to be a healthy bird.

I’ll start with the triple antibiotics for the black one, and both the white and black are getting this in the water.

View attachment 1625315

Good plan