Large tumor-like growth on cockscomb

[Micahday]

Hi there! I've got a chicken with a large tumor like growth on the cockscomb. Curious if anyone knows what this is? Another chicken, not pictured, has some white spots on the cockscomb and it is also a little inflamed. But not nearly as big.

Generally the chicken is in good health, eating fine and doing well otherwise. She doesn't really lay anymore as she's a few years old now.

 

[Lillith37]

I know that the feeling of it can indicate what kind of growth it is but can’t remember the details off the top of my head. @Eggcessive can probably provide better information.

 

[Micahday]

I know that the feeling of it can indicate what kind of growth it is but can’t remember the details off the top of my head. @Eggcessive can probably provide better information.

Thanks a ton @Lillith37 !!!

@Eggcessive any insight you could provide would be amazing!

 

[Eggcessive]

That is something I have never seen before. It has a bit of an appearance of an ingrown feather cyst, but I haven’t seen one on the comb before. It could be an abscess from a peck wound, or a cyst or tumor. Is it soft or solid? It looks fairly smooth with some fine feathers coming out of it. Tumors can be irregular and firm. If you are up to lancing it, you could see if fluid or blood comes out, or if there is solid pus inside or an ingrown feather inside. Or you could watch it to see if it grows or shrinks.

 

[Micahday]

Thanks a bunch @Eggcessive ! I felt it and it felt somewhat hard. And yes, there are tiny feathers coming out.

How would I go about lancing it?

 

[Micahday]

Also, I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not but another chicken recently started showing some white spots on the cockscomb as well.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have seen that before in one of my roosters. I used an antifungal cream miconazole to treat it thinking it was favus, a fungus. It doesn’t look like the tropical pictures we see of favus, and some have suggested trying to wash it off the comb with warm soapy water and a rag. Povidone iodine, available in most pharmacies, or Betadine would also be good for a fungal or bacterial infection.

To lance it, you would need to disinfect the skin, and take a sharp blade to make a small incision. Then try to squeeze any pus that might be inside. If nothing comes out or a small amount of blood, then it may be a tumor. You could watch it for a few days, to see if the size increases if you measure it with a ruler or tape measure.