Our Bow Tie Silkie female has a growth on her neck, it sticks out and is about the diameter of a pencil, maybe a little smaller. What could cause something like this and what do we do for it? She doesn't seem to be in any pain and eats normally. It took us a while to get this picture as she wouldn't hold still.
Another picture....
Doncha just love the way children misbehave...That is an interesting growth. I have never seen anything like it...However if she is doing just fine in spite of it I don't think I'd give it that much concern...Only the Lord knows what all is under all these feathers...Hay
True, maybe half of our chickens have similar growths, we just never see them. Smedgekles' chick just happens to have no feathers to hide hers. I agree that if she is showing no other symptoms, it is best to ignore it.
First, I'm not a Vet. This is in no way a recommendation of what anyone should do, just my personal thoughts :)
I don't know what it is, but I tend to want things like that gone. Chances are it's nothing major, but it would bother me, even if the chicken doesn;t care.. If she were mine, I'd take a small rubberband and wrap it around the "neck" of the growth as close to the neck of the chicken as possible. Not really tightly, just enough to put firm pressure around it. The growth will eventually die, and drop of, leaving either a small raw spot, or no sign at all. I learned this when I had 14 yr old dog with a "suspicious" growth, and she wasn't a candidate for surgery. The Vet suggested this, and while it took a long time, it worked beautifully. She had another two years with us.
JMO
I'll keep an eye on it, and may try that rubberband trick.
Thanks
Dental floss is easier to apply, and tie firmly. Great idea, but I'm not sure I'd do it if it's not bothering her. Unless she is going in a pageant. LOL (sorry, I had to)
OH come now ! Doesnt she just have the storybook look , hooked beak and all. She just has a wart and what self respecting Witchy-poo looking Showgirl wouldnt! It gives her "Something" special! Im with Porkpal , "If it aint hurtin, flaunt it"!
ZZ, the idea is that the elasticity of the rubberband allows the tissue to continue being compressed as the growth shrinks. That way it doesn't need to be replaced as the "neck" of the mass shrinks, which it does, considerably. Rather than cutting the blood supply off completely initially, it happens gradually, allowing the underlying tissue to heal as this all happens. I'd suspect most of these things could be tied and snipped just as easily, but this is (or at least appears to be) less painful and traumatic. It's kinda like banding vs castration by knife:).
It's not for everything, of course, but I use it on skin tags that cause irritation, and individual growths that I'm afraid will ulcerate or be abraded during daily life. There are times this is a good choice, and times it's decidedly not.
When she first had this, it was a bump and she acted a little sickly, then she started acting normal, and has ever since but it has gotten larger. Any idea what causes these things?
By the way, her name is Isabella and the roo is named Bo, so they are Isabella and Bo Tie.
That totally makes sense Catmad! Thank you for explaining that, cause I appreciate learning new things, and I really never thought of that..
I didn't type my response very well.. I should have said "Good Idea" first, cause it was directed at you.
I'm sorry Smedge, I don't know what it is... Or what caused it.. strange! I might venture to guess some kind of worm or parasite? EWWW now I'm getting grossed out. LOL
*G*. I've found that much of the most useful things I've learned about animal care comes from people who have "been there, done that". Simple ways to manage things, or at least worth trying before you pull out the big guns (a Vet). Considering that most Vets have no idea what to do with a chicken, I really depend on experienced chicken gurus.
Like ZZ :)
And I agree with the parasite possiblilty. It's not uncommon for foreign objects (or infection of some sort) to be "walled off" by the body (human or critter) in an attempt to eliminate a threat. That may be part of the reason I just find things like that Icky, and want them gone. Yes, "Icky" is the technical term...
Is it soft and squishy? or hard?
It's hard.
Does it move with the skin or is it attached to something?
It moves with the skin as far as we can tell, and it has changed looks a little like it might be starting to come off.
Gag... LOL
