One of my 4 hens is not well. I have not been able to find out what she has yet, I am assuming possibly tumors but I am not sure now. She eats a LOT, sleeps a LOT, and just lost her rank in the pecking order a month ago (mid May 2015), putting her at the bottom of the order. I have noticed in the past days that she gets attacked a lot more by the other chickens, so I assume she's getting weaker and the other chickens feel that something's not right, is that possible?
She is 2 1/2 years old and has been hatched by a commercial chicken farm; when we got her (April 2013) she was not laying yet, so around 4 months old. Back at that time (2 years ago!!!) we still had a rooster but he went days after we got her because he was mean. She laid nice darkish brown eggs and that changed after about a year and she suddenly laid white eggs. Now she has not been laying since about January, I thought at first it was the (molting) season but it has been 6 months and she still is not laying (giving her time to recover from an attack by a dog 3 months ago (mid March 2015))
She has been sitting in the nesting box like she wants to lay but nothing happens. Today I found something under the roosting bars, and I am fairly certain it came out of her. What in the world is that? At first glance it looked like a dead slug, when I moved it I thought I could make out the slight form of a chick, but as the last time she was around a roo was when she was 4 months old, back 2 years ago in April 2013 (!!), I am thinking this could not be possible! Or could it? Or could it be a tumor that just detached and came out? It does not look like an egg.
I have attached pictures of how I found it and after I cut it open because I really wanted to know what that is! It seemed to have something inside of it that may have been tendons or developing bones, the mass was soft like a hotdog (it also looked a bit like it, color and all), it looks like cooked meat, like a cooked chick? I also took a picture of her face; she has been having this round visible mass under the skin of her face. That happened (over night!) about 2 months ago (end of April 2015), and as she had survived an ugly dog attack (mid March), I thought it may have been an infection under the skin and tried to treat it with colloidal silver orally first. Nothing changed.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on this? What could it be what she has? What could that mass be that came out of her? And what should I do with her, wait some more or see this as the end of a 6 month journey I have had trying to make her better and finding out what's wrong?
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any input!
PLEASE be advised that here come some pictures that may appear unappetizing!
This one (above) seemed to be maybe fatty tissue or not-quite-cooked egg white.
This is after the first cut. Already there are some different textures visible.
The mass/lump of the right side of her face. It seems not to hurt her but she yawns a lot.
This is after 4 cuts in all directions to get a glimpse of what's inside
She is 2 1/2 years old and has been hatched by a commercial chicken farm; when we got her (April 2013) she was not laying yet, so around 4 months old. Back at that time (2 years ago!!!) we still had a rooster but he went days after we got her because he was mean. She laid nice darkish brown eggs and that changed after about a year and she suddenly laid white eggs. Now she has not been laying since about January, I thought at first it was the (molting) season but it has been 6 months and she still is not laying (giving her time to recover from an attack by a dog 3 months ago (mid March 2015))
She has been sitting in the nesting box like she wants to lay but nothing happens. Today I found something under the roosting bars, and I am fairly certain it came out of her. What in the world is that? At first glance it looked like a dead slug, when I moved it I thought I could make out the slight form of a chick, but as the last time she was around a roo was when she was 4 months old, back 2 years ago in April 2013 (!!), I am thinking this could not be possible! Or could it? Or could it be a tumor that just detached and came out? It does not look like an egg.
I have attached pictures of how I found it and after I cut it open because I really wanted to know what that is! It seemed to have something inside of it that may have been tendons or developing bones, the mass was soft like a hotdog (it also looked a bit like it, color and all), it looks like cooked meat, like a cooked chick? I also took a picture of her face; she has been having this round visible mass under the skin of her face. That happened (over night!) about 2 months ago (end of April 2015), and as she had survived an ugly dog attack (mid March), I thought it may have been an infection under the skin and tried to treat it with colloidal silver orally first. Nothing changed.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on this? What could it be what she has? What could that mass be that came out of her? And what should I do with her, wait some more or see this as the end of a 6 month journey I have had trying to make her better and finding out what's wrong?
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any input!
PLEASE be advised that here come some pictures that may appear unappetizing!
This one (above) seemed to be maybe fatty tissue or not-quite-cooked egg white.
This is after the first cut. Already there are some different textures visible.
The mass/lump of the right side of her face. It seems not to hurt her but she yawns a lot.
This is after 4 cuts in all directions to get a glimpse of what's inside
