I am six weeks into my first backyard laying flock that ordered as day olds through the mail. I got 25 chicks and mostly one of this and one of that.

One of the Speckled Sussex chicks is still isolated from the others since I isolated a few from early picking starting on Day 17. When I got some pine tar for the picking and red cellphane for the two windows and decided to let them out of isolation, the one Sussex was like a boomerang and came right back to me, which is when I noticed she had some spots on her head that looked like vicious picking. I cleaned her up with peroxide and packed it with neosporin ointment (this was Day 21). I also treated her with tetracycline in her water for 5 days thinking that would heal her up.

It's now Day 43 and she's got a growth on her head (I can now see little feathers growing out of it) and more round blackish red spots on her head (approximately 1/8 inch in diameter, some in clusters), plus some now on her neck, a few on the top point of her breastbone, and one on joint of her wing at the top as it's folded against her body.

What is it and what should I do? I tried to let her outside since it's finally nice today and the snow melted (Black Hills, SD) and immediately someone pecked at her head, so back in the pen she went. I feel bad for her and can't see her living in a separate pen all her life if she won't heal!

I've got Gail Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook and if I had to guess by reading all the ailment descriptions, I would narrow it down to Marek's (I had them vaccinated at McMurray but understand that there's still a chance of getting it) or dry pox.

Whatever it turns out to be, if she'll only suffer and get worse, then I'm thinking chicken heaven.

Any experienced opinions on the diagnoses and treatment?

I've taken a few pictures to help.

Thanks for any help,
Michelle Tech

Until I saw the pictures, I thought your decription matched Damerow's symptoms for dry pox, but now I'm not so sure. I've never seen pox except in books, but your pullet looks like she has healing picked places. Since we know she was picked, I would keep her abosolutely isolated, and put neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment on the crusty places every couple of days or so to keep them flexible. On the odd days you could soak the areas with some peroxide, too. Keep her in absolutely dry bedding with all the feed and clean water she wants. Vitamins in the water wouldn't hurt, and I would probably put a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per gallon in the water, too. If it's pox, she may heal up and get over it. If it's picking, she ought to heal up like new. If it's the picking, she might well have some skin with feathers sticking out some on the side of the scabby areas. Good luck, and let us know how she does.

Thanks for the help Dr. Smith.

I noticed today that she looks worse...more spots. They sprout up in different places and she's been isolated for 23 days now and more spots keep turning up! There are more on her neck than even yesterday that I didn't see. Basically, she's looking more ragged since the spots are interfering with her feathers laying down flat and nice. (note the bumps on her neck in the second picture).

I haven't been applying neosporin like you've recommended so maybe they are just now noticeable because they aren't healing as well as they could be.

The big growing bump on the top of her head seems like a tumor...gray but apparently skin since there are little feathers growing on it. The growth is denser than just flesh and will slide around independently of her skull. It's different than the reddish black spots for sure, but started out that way as I remember...it was the main spot I peroxided from the beginning.

I'll begin the neo and peroxide treatment more frequently immediately and see what happens.

Do you have an additional opinion on the "tumor"?

Thanks,
Michelle

If more spots are coming up while she's in isolation, then we can rule out picking, at least for those. Do the bumps fit the descriptions Damerow gives for pox? Is there any chance some kind of mite could be chewing on her here and there? Could there be a fungal problem that is causing her head bump to be so big?
Anyone else out there in chickenland, any ideas? Help!!

Only thing I can think of is "proud flesh" that is a granular response to occasional wounds--usually associated with horses. Have never seen anything like i t on a chicken, tho.

I have a beautiful little cock that was the victim of his peers as a youngster. Before I rescued him, his entire head, behind the comb, was bloody to the bone. I did nothing for him, except separate him, of course, until it was dried, then used an antibiotic ointment on the edges. It healed with skin entirely across his head, but there were no feather follicles to renew, so he has a bald area, really not unsightly,as his comb, which is a very good shaped one, was not injured, but he could never be a show-bird, of course. He has sired a nice batch of chicks this winter. Just one of those sorry happenings.
Hope someone has a better answer! CJR

This is so nice to have chicken friends that can help...I'm fairly isolated up here in the Hills and don't really know anyone with chickens. Thanks everyone!

This afternoon I see that the Sussex has scratched the big bump off. I don't know if yesterday's neosporin made her itch or was just annoying to her, but it's gone. Her head was bleeding and bare skin so I laid her on her back (she cooperates so nicely...'spose she knows I'm trying to help?) and peroxided her good then put the neosporin on after drying.

For some reason I worry about getting peroxide in her eyes (some previously heard warning?)

Anyway, she still has the newer smaller bump but at least now I know it will eventually come off. And, like CJR's bald chicken, I suppose she will have a bald spot too. Time will tell.

When I pick her up I think her breast bone is "sharp" or "pointy" down it's length...she eats and drinks just fine and most of the time I'm watching her. Another clue?

I am really beginning to think it's pox but surely it came from the hatchery...my building is brand new and I've never had chickens before to leave any contamination behind. And it will be a couple of months before we see a few sparse mosquitoes.

As soon as this over, I'll be hauling all the wood shavings out and putting new straw in. (there's another question...is straw better than wood shavings?).

Thank you all for your help for my poor little chicken.

Michelle

I, too, am from the Black Hills of South Dakota.
A couple years ago I had a crossbred chicken with just about the same icky looking lumps and bumps on it.
It had been viciously pecked at from time to time.
Throwing caution to the wind. I broke open one of the small lumps to find that it was an ingrown feather.

Chookster,

The ingrown feather is an idea, too, maybe more apt to happen during healing.

If your chicken had lumps like from vicious pecking then I would be relieved to think that my chick is ailing from the same thing, since I know she was picked to begin with.

OK, since you are in the Black Hills too, with our weather unpredictable like it is, when do you think it's safe for me to leave the little chicken door open at night into their completely fenced yard (even on top)? I'd like to think I can go camping and they'll be free to go into their yard anytime they want. Otherwise, they'll be stuck in the coop for a couple of days and that will only lead to picking...

In other words, how low can the night time temp be that the 25 of them will be ok in their 8'x12' coop with the brooder bulb still on so it's 70 degrees underneath?

Once again, they are 6 weeks old if that makes a difference.

Do you let your chickens range duri

Oops, the last part of my message got cut off...

Chookster,

Do you let your chickens range during the day? I'm worried about the foxes, coyotes, dogs, hawks, eagles, etc. but I see some chickens free ranging at Nemo/Vanocker all the time.

Good to know you're out there!

Michelle

It would be nice to find out that ingrown feathers was the case. But since you don't know for sure, still treat it as if it were infectious/contagious!
I live on the far west side of SD; We get all the "freakish" weather, sometimes into June.
Chicks can withstand cooler weather for bits at a time if they have a warm place to return to. Also, make sure they have a draft-free place to stay.



=I am, by no means, an expert; Nor do I claim to be.
I speak strictly through my own experiences.=

Michelle, When you clean your coop out, by all means use shavings. They last much longer, stay dry, your birds will be cleaner. With straw, it packs, stays wet and you will have to clean your coop 4 or 5 x as often! I used to use straw because we had it--but I do not like to clean the houses so often and wet bedding is a precourser to disease. Hope that bird heals up this time! CJR

Just an update on my sick Speckled Sussex...

Her head was trying to heal but for one spot. Her neck however kept getting worse and more populated with sores and underlying hard spots. She wasn't growing and was very skinny with her breastbone protruding. She smelled like dirty socks for want of a better description (maybe it was the peroxide). It didn't appear that she would get better and my husband agreed.

When he came in tonight from sending her to chickie heaven he declared that she had to have been very ill and it was only humane to put her to rest.

A tough decision but a necessary one.

Thanks for everyone's assistance.

Michelle

Help! We have a 3 month old Ameracauna who has suddenly developed a growth on its beak just beneath its left eye. It is not soft and not hard and it doesn't mind us touching it. It seems to be making the eye tear also. We put it in isolation last week, but doesn't seem to be getting better (it hasn't changed in size). What is it? How can we take care of it? We don't want to lose her as she is the smallest and sweetest of the group. The ?growth was not there on Wednesday but was on Thursday. The other day before we put her in isolation the other chicks wer picking on her and it was bleeding. This growth also appears to have small feathers growing out of it.

Help! We have a 3 month old Ameracauna who has suddenly developed a growth on its beak just beneath its left eye. It is not soft and not hard and it doesn't mind us touching it. It seems to be making the eye tear also. We put it in isolation last week, but doesn't seem to be getting better (it hasn't changed in size). What is it? How can we take care of it? We don't want to lose her as she is the smallest and sweetest of the group. The ?growth was not there on Wednesday but was on Thursday. The other day before we put her in isolation the other chicks were picking on her and it was bleeding. This growth also appears to have small feathers growing out of it.

Help! We have a 3 month old Ameracauna who has suddenly developed a growth on its beak just beneath its left eye. It is not soft and not hard and it doesn't mind us touching it. It seems to be making the eye tear also. We put it in isolation last week, but doesn't seem to be getting better (it hasn't changed in size). What is it? How can we take care of it? We don't want to lose her as she is the smallest and sweetest of the group. The ?growth was not there on Wednesday but was on Thursday. The other day before we put her in isolation the other chicks were picking on her and it was bleeding. This growth also appears to have small feathers growing out of it.

Sorry for the triplicate message. I'm still new at this. Please ignore first 2 messages.