UPDATED Pics - Pecking or skin condition?

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

Originally I thought this was a leg problem. The rooster is 13 weeks.

Lethargic. Stumbles when he walks. Eats and drinks. He has been this way 3 days.

Today when I got home from work I examined him. Found a different issue.

There is a similar, smaller patch on the rear of his neck. There is blood around the edges where feathers are intact. All blood looked dry. Skin color looks odd for a Swedish. Maybe dried blood?

Skin disorder? Is the aggressive and large 13 week old Wheaten Marans rooster or one of the 4 others pecking him?

 

[azygous]

I'm sorry. I'd love to help, but your photos are not clear enough to show the problem.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

Updated pics.

Around the tail feathers and neck. Also wattle looks a bit swollen and discolored.

 

[azygous]

How attached are you to this chicken? Any chance you might consider euthanizing him and sending his body to a lab for necropsy?

I apologize if this sounds heartless, and I still can't really see clearly his skin. But a couple of the photos lead me to think of squamous cell skin cancer in poultry. I had a hen with a large lesion on her tail a year ago similar in appearance to the very last photo you posted. And the very first photo on the upper left also appears to be skin cancer lesions, though small.

The reasons for having a necropsy done is because this can be caused by the lymphoid leucosis virus and it can affect the entire flock.

Sorry to be such a pain about the quality of the photos, but could you try reposting at least the first and last ones and this time select "full size"? That might provide the resolution necessary to get a better fix on what this could be.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

How attached are you to this chicken? Any chance you might consider euthanizing him and sending his body to a lab for necropsy?

I apologize if this sounds heartless, and I still can't really see clearly his skin. But a couple of the photos lead me to think of squamous cell skin cancer in poultry. I had a hen with a large lesion on her tail a year ago similar in appearance to the very last photo you posted. And the very first photo on the upper left also appears to be skin cancer lesions, though small.

The reasons for having a necropsy done is because this can be caused by the lymphoid leucosis virus and it can affect the entire flock.

Sorry to be such a pain about the quality of the photos, but could you try reposting at least the first and last ones and this time select "full size"? That might provide the resolution necessary to get a better fix on what this could be.

Hopefully better pics. I am posting full size and zoom for each.

I am comfortable euthanizing if necessary. I cut meat off and on In a family owned packing plant over the years.

The skin issues were definitely not present when he first started stumbling at the beginning of the week.

 

[azygous]

Much, MUCH better! It only confirms my hunch that this is cancer. It looks just like my hen, only your chicken has much more involvement. Also, you mentioned his lethargic behavior, and that is also a symptom of squamous cell cancer in chickens.

What I suggest, unless you want to try to find a vet to have them look at this fellow and see what they think, is to treat for a bacterial skin infection, and if there is no improvement, then it's more likely it's cancer. Cancer lesions will not heal no matter what you do.

Vetericyn wound spray is one treatment, and it's easy to spray him a couple or three times a day. This stuff is antibacterial and also promotes new skin tissue growth. If you have an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin, I would toss that at this too. If after a couple of weeks, there is no improvement, then I would euthanize and have him necropsied.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

Much, MUCH better! It only confirms my hunch that this is cancer. It looks just like my hen, only your chicken has much more involvement. Also, you mentioned his lethargic behavior, and that is also a symptom of squamous cell cancer in chickens.

What I suggest, unless you want to try to find a vet to have them look at this fellow and see what they think, is to treat for a bacterial skin infection, and if there is no improvement, then it's more likely it's cancer. Cancer lesions will not heal no matter what you do.

Vetericyn wound spray is one treatment, and it's easy to spray him a couple or three times a day. This stuff is antibacterial and also promotes new skin tissue growth. If you have an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin, I would toss that at this too. If after a couple of weeks, there is no improvement, then I would euthanize and have him necropsied.

Thank you very much. I’ll give it a go.