VERY strange growth......need help ASAP!-----UPDATE!

[jbowen9]

could be anything something they ate, something they stuck their head into and got nicked and it grew from there could be some kind of bug or fly then it again it could have been the easter bunny. All jokes aside that is only the 3rd time i have seen it and that one isnt the worse one the worse one i seen both eyes was completely swelled up and couldnt see out of and she was feeding it couple of times a day with a syringe to keep it alive. We cut both bubbles and got all of the yellow goop out and filled it with neosporin and put it on duramycin and about a week later swelling went down and chicken is still alive to this day without any other problems. Knock on wood

 

[PunkinPeep]

I'm not one of the experts, just so we're clear....but if it were me, and i had other birds, and this was the second one to develop this way, i think that i would cull the bird and have a necropsy done to see what caused the problem.

The reason i say this - besides that the fact that this happened twice freaks me out - is that even though it must not be very contagious (as someone stated) since only two have contracted it, (sorry this is a serious run-on sentence), there is still SOMETHING causing it in more than one bird. I would really want to know for sure what it is so that i could take care of whatever the problem is and possibly save the other birds.

What if it's something that the other birds are carrying and could pass on to offspring? You know what i'm saying? What if this is just the way these two birds demonstrated the disease but other birds are still carrying it and appearing healthy?

Too weird and scary.

Give her my best. I'm so sorry that this is happening in her flock.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

there are so many variables but if only the one got it last year and only one has it this year then odds are that it is not very contagious. Does she let her birds free range or are they caged? Could be transmitted by direct contact if anything. I wouldn't cull the bird just yet. If it is eating and drinking then that is half the battle. Have her keep it seperate during treatment. Make sure she keeps things clean especially before handling her other birds. Keep us posted and feel free to PM if needed.

 

[iluvmychicks]

Really, thank you all for understanding her situation, it's not for me to TELL her what to do, only suggest the best for this poor bird. I really appreciate the feedback and ideas, this has turned into a learning topic......I like it!

As far as I know they free range, she talked about this beautiful coop her husband built her with sliding windows, I guess they have some really nice digs. I know she loves her birds very much, just the way she talked about them, I hope I can gather the best advice for her, and give her some options, so far so good Thank you all for understanding and not being judgemental........kudos to all of you that helped!!

Shari

 

[AHappychick]

I am not trying to be unkind, I aked about the magotts for a reason, I hope you did not take it as anything but trouble shooting. As for the biosecurity it was unclear, sorry.

As for the bird though I strongly recomend figuring out what it is in addition to treating because with out knowing how will she stop it from happening again.

Also like I said she should contact the state, they have vets if she can not afford one. Was there a particular reason she has not contacted a vet?

 

[claud]

You might want to question what kind of bedding she's using and nesting material and where she gets it. Just to rule out something toxic or non-animal friendly materials(like the hubby brought something home from work that looked like it would make great bedding material - or someone was giving away old moldy hay or something).
Just a thought.
Some more info on their environmental conditions.

 

[iluvmychicks]

I am not trying to be unkind, I aked about the magotts for a reason, I hope you did not take it as anything but trouble shooting. As for the biosecurity it was unclear, sorry.

As for the bird though I strongly recomend figuring out what it is in addition to treating because with out knowing how will she stop it from happening again.

Also like I said she should contact the state, they have vets if she can not afford one. Was there a particular reason she has not contacted a vet?

I didn't take offense to your post at all, no apologies needed I knew you were trouble shooting. I wasn't directing my comments to you at all. I just felt like I was being shot down about biosecurity before I was even asked the question......."do you practice biosecurity" No big deal, that's not why were here anyway.

She did contact a vet......via a phone call, they didn't even care to see it, most vets around here just look at them as "chickens" pretty disposable ya know?? Sad but true, that's why she called me. She knew I'd raised birds for years and thought I could help her, when I saw that poor guy I thought that was wayyyyy out of my league. I grabbed my camera and took pics to ask on here. Hopefully she can get some good info from here.

Thanks

You might want to question what kind of bedding she's using and nesting material and where she gets it. Just to rule out something toxic or non-animal friendly materials(like the hubby brought something home from work that looked like it would make great bedding material - or someone was giving away old moldy hay or something).
Just a thought.
Some more info on their environmental conditions.

Good idea, I'll call her tomorrow....we will get to the bottom of this.

Thanks!​

 

[AHappychick]

wow I thought the vets were bad around here. There is a list of them on BYC maybe there is a chicken vet in your area you dont know about.

Wish her luck and tell her to wear glasses and gloves (probably obvious) when she explores it just in case and to make sure whatever she uses is disinfected in some way.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I believe you can contact Pete Brown at firststatevetsuppply.com via email at no charge. She could forward the photos and ask his recommendation.

I am wondering if it is an abcess, like bumblefoot. The only thing is--why on both sides? Yes, I would be strongly inclined to lance the boils.

 

[WingingIt]

I think it's great that you are trying to help her with her chickens.

Our area is the same, chickens are 'just chickens' and vets won't see them. Heck, we have a vet that lives right down the road and he's very nice but told me to please never bring him a chicken. He will get me supplies for anything I want to try myself, though, so it's OK as far as I'm concerned.

Getting off subject......lol.

I'd open them up, too. It does look quite a bit like bumblefoot (from what I've seen here) so I'd really want to know if there's an infection in there. If so, she can clean it all out and pack it and hopefully that will get rid of it. If only two birds have had it in two years, I don't think it's horribly contagious. Might be hereditary, if they are a closed flock and related, I guess. I don't see anyone saying cull over bumblefoot on a regular basis, and I'm nosy, so I'd HAVE to open them up and see what I'm dealing with.

Good luck to her!