Black hard thing on chicken thigh

[Maiaolpin]

Just noticed today that a hen of mine is lethargic, tail down, not eating, having trouble walking. Not sure where to start as it’s New Year’s Eve and I live in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Maiaolpin]

Here is photo of the chicken in question

 

[SmiYa0126]

Does the wound smell bad? Is she skinny, his her crop feel? @MysteryChicken @azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Maiaolpin]

She feels quite skinny, wound does not smell. I am very new to having chickens but after feeling her crop compared to the others Hers feels hard and the healthy ones crop feels squishy.

 

[azygous]

I have a rooster with such a growth. Look over my thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-not-injury-confirmed-to-be-a-tumor.1543307/ and see if it matches what your hen has.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Those can be found on different parts of the body, and they start out as small craters which can be see in the following articles:
https://sesc.cat/en/squamous-cell-carcinoma-in-laying-hens/

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

 

[Maiaolpin]

Hmmm yeah, I am wondering what I can do to help her or if she can not be helped, what is the most humane way to put a chicken down?

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she eating and drinking? Can you feel of her crop in the early morning to see if her crop empties overnight? Let us know what you find. If it is still firm in the morning before she eats or drinks, you can give her some chunks of chilled coconut oil, or some mineral or olive oil in some cooked egg. Then massage the crop several times a day. If it is empty, then that is normal. The presence of a tumor may not necessarily end her life in a short time. If she has a crop disorder, that could cause weight loss.
There are a number of ways that people use to humanely end a chicken’s life. Many remove the head with garden loppers. Some use the broomstick method or cervical dislocation. I hang them upside down by the feet from a nail on a tree, which seems to calm them, and cut the jugular veins with a sharp knife. They bleed out in a minute or so. You can find more info about those methods with a search online.

 

[Maiaolpin]

I have not seen her eat or drink. I’ll try the oil in the morning, I’ve made her as comfortable as possible for now. Thank you for the tips! I’d also like the add that this black thing is like 2 inches in diameter. I’ve heard of epsom salt baths, is that something that may help? Or a warm compress on the “wound”? I’ll also check her crop an massage it.

 

[Eggcessive]

If her crop is empty, then she won’t need to oil. It might help to soften the scab with a warm wet compress or Epsom salts compress, so that you could see what might be inside of it, either blood or pus. Blood would indicate tumor while pus would indicate abscess.