PoultryTalk.com

I will start at the start when we got the hens a few months ago.
We got three hens from a battery farm, plumage in unpleasant condition one has a slightly wry neck but healthy. The hen I am here to ask about is Lola. Lola Has one middle talon missing on a foot but has been healthy so far beautiful plumage different to the two others. Her Comb and wattles have always been paler.

About three weeks ago Lola laid an egg with a crust then afterward an egg without a shell or membrane of which she had began to eat, however it was removed and she has not began to stand on eggs and eat them. Just after this she puffed herself up, didnt move a lot, lethargic ate less then usual, after around three days was fine again. A week ago the same no weird egg, we provided porrige oats with warm water and she was okay again. Today, after being fine this behaviour started again unsure if she laid an egg but no abnormal eggs at all she acted lethargic again ate very little and drinking far more water than normal. Our other two hens are fine. Suggestions.

By the way, they have all been treated for all parasites as soon as we got them and they do not have the common diseases such as scaly leg red mite etc, we treat for everything.

What did you treat them with for parasites? Have they been wormed and what with?

They've had a course of calcium, treated with something from the farm counter of our local vets not exactly sure what I'm posting for my mum. They are on Ex battery pellets we have all of the diet side of things right - plus she is the only hen thats ill. She has eaten a little bit more today after some porrige oats again in warm water this morning her faeces had a bit more substance, however we aren't sure where it came from but my mum notice this afternoon the hens were on the bench as they often go on there Lola and one other Ruby who is in normal good health then they hopped off and went off to eat some food in the coop, she looked for faeces out of the window she noticed what looked like a small bit but left it to go out. She went out to remove it when she got back and she realised it wasn't faeces I saw it and I hoenstly have never sene anything like it...it was a lump of flesh with a rubbery casing about 2inchs long and half an inch thick, an inch or so across. My mum pulled it apart a bit to see what it was and it was like cooked meat but not like you would find from chicken breast or anything it was stringy, pretty repulsive looking. I would have taken a picture but we threw it away a bit disgusted, it was a pink colour just like cooked meat, absolutly unmarked or touched it was firm not gooey or wet, we have no idea where it came from as if wcouldn't have been dropped by a wild bird or animal as they were on a bench that is completely sheltered from the sky, and our garden is closed off.

Treated for worming and parasites from the over the counter stuff I meant, my mum went and asked incase there was something special for ex battery hens you see and thats what they told her to use.

Do you think this came from the chicken? or could it have been something the birds had carried up onto the bench ie baby mouse, squirrel, mole before they have any fur on them.

Okay I know your jsut trying to help but I know what a dead animal would look like and there was no blood or organs it was just stringy flesh on the inside. It's okay anyway I got advice elsewhere, its a tumor.

So what you got to do with the bird now, dispatch it or what?

Good grief - did the tumour fall off, or did they pass it? Sounds gross - a horrible thing to have to deal with. It also sounds like you're doing a grand and thorough job finding the best things to do and get for your flock. I think your birds are very lucky to be in your hands.

Not trying to offend by the way!
She had passed it, her whole body and vent is fine it must have been internal.
Well today Lola is fine, she's been in good spirits. We take exceptional care of them they get spoiled really haha.
We are going to see how it goes. If she has another bout of it we will get her put to sleep at the vets because it would be cruel to have her go through pain. She seemed great today I saw her running aroung pecking eating worms and jumping about. Problem is when they pass one tumor, its likely there are more and theres really nothing you can do.

She sounds happy and I think you've got a very sensible approach - there's no point in keeping a hen alive if she's miserable and in pain. Was it definitely her who passed the tumour? Is it tumours that are causing the problem, do you think? Or is that just a separate issue? Please keep us posted - I'm sure Lewis and Topflight and everyone else is rooting for you!

It wouldn't be a tumour, but part of the internal reproductive system being shed, not uncommon in exbatts. This could have been triggered by an infection.

The tumour you refer to is called a "Lash" - I've never had one with my hens but have seen them and had them occur in chickens bought into work.

Oh! I have had an egg with a huge lump of something poking out of one end of it - it was absolutely disgusting. Was that one of those?

I'd guess that was a Prolapsed Vent - where the vent turns inside out or the uterus comes to the outside of the vent