What the heck is this!? Tick? Tumor? Wart? Growth?

[DirtyHarrysHenHarem]

I found this "something" on my 2.5 year old chicken's tail next to the oil gland and at first thought it was a tick but it's under the skin and slightly exposed. It's very hard and you can tell it's larger under the skin (like a small iceberg). Any thoughts on what the heck it is and if I need to do anything about it? Thank you!

 

[micstrachan]

How big across is the brown part and how big would you say it is under the skin? I would probably start with a warm damp compress and then try picking at it a bit personally.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is that her oil gland near the crater?

 

[Fishkeeper]

Yeah, that looks like some kind of... keratinous tumor to me. Can you get her to a vet?
Warm compress and a bit of light poking to figure out what it is might be a decent idea. I wouldn't try to dig it out, but figuring out what texture it is might be good.
Can you tell if the oil gland is working properly? Maybe it's doing something very wrong.
There are two other weird things going on, too. One I'm pretty sure is the oil gland, though I've never seen an up-close photo of one, and then there's that... yellow-green thing to the lower right. What is that?

 

[DirtyHarrysHenHarem]

Yeah, that looks like some kind of... keratinous tumor to me. Can you get her to a vet?
Warm compress and a bit of light poking to figure out what it is might be a decent idea. I wouldn't try to dig it out, but figuring out what texture it is might be good.
Can you tell if the oil gland is working properly? Maybe it's doing something very wrong.
There are two other weird things going on, too. One I'm pretty sure is the oil gland, though I've never seen an up-close photo of one, and then there's that... yellow-green thing to the lower right. What is that?

haha, I had just fed her some egg and that was left over. I had just given her an epsom salt bath and so she was preening and drying off when I saw that thing...

 

[DirtyHarrysHenHarem]

Is that her oil gland near the crater?

yes, it is!

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not a vet, but just am giving my opinion. The crater might be an epidermoid cyst, inclusion cyst, feather follicle cyst, or another benign problem. It would be worth trying to explore it by disinfecting the skin with betadine or chlorhexidene, and probe it with a sterile needle or scalpel. Then see if you can express any pus or keratin from the cyst. You might want to visit your local vet for help.

 

[DirtyHarrysHenHarem]

Ok, update - so I was checking this thing out yesterday and noticed w/ my fingernail that it was softer so my curiosity got the best of me and I opted to do "surgery" on it and was able to dig out whatever this mass was (in total, probably about a thumbnail sized "ball"). The contents were crumbly, no real puss, some blood but not much at all. (see first and second pic).

I flushed and cleaned it out with a saline solution (looked far cleaner than this - got all the little bits out) but now am worried about it getting infected bc there is just this open wound. do I need to take her in to get that thing sewn up?
Im thinking I'll monitor it and clean it out daily with the saline and a syringe and may consider stuffing medical gauze in there to prevent dirt and other particles from getting in there (this is what I've done personally with wounds and imagine it could work w/ her?). Any advice is welcome!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok, update - so I was checking this thing out yesterday and noticed w/ my fingernail that it was softer so my curiosity got the best of me and I opted to do "surgery" on it and was able to dig out whatever this mass was (in total, probably about a thumbnail sized "ball"). The contents were crumbly, no real puss, some blood but not much at all. (see first and second pic).
View attachment 1694794
View attachment 1694795
View attachment 1694796
I flushed and cleaned it out with a saline solution (looked far cleaner than this - got all the little bits out) but now am worried about it getting infected bc there is just this open wound. do I need to take her in to get that thing sewn up?
Im thinking I'll monitor it and clean it out daily with the saline and a syringe and may consider stuffing medical gauze in there to prevent dirt and other particles from getting in there (this is what I've done personally with wounds and imagine it could work w/ her?). Any advice is welcome!

I would just flush it very well daily with saline, then put triple antibiotic ointment in there.
I would not put gauze in it. To me, it does not need to be stitched either, let it granulate and heal from the inside out.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would use some 10 % betadine (povidone iodine) which you can find at a feed store or at Walmart where they label it as Equate First Aid Antiseptic Solution. Apply the betadine or another disinfectant. Then put some plain Triple Antibiotic Ointment on it twice a day. You may want to continue to flush it with betadine and water daily, and reapply the ointment until it starts to heal.