[thebumbles]

Hi everyone

My silkie, Jazzy, has a lump on her neck, I took her to the vet and she has a cyst.  The vet says chickens dont respond well to anastethics and they bleed alot apparently, so the prognosis isnt positive.  The dilema I  have is, do I take a chance and have the cyst removed or let her carry on and see how she goes.  She is fine in herself, eating and behaving normally.   I spray it with gentian violet every other day, to keep it clean and hopefully stop my other girls having a go at her. Oh dear, it is a worry. Has anyone else had this operation dilema?

[ANHBUC]

When you say cyst do you mean one that has an open wound?  If so you may find that it goes away in time.  Just keep the wound clean, use wound powder or an alternative is cornflour (Joyfulls tip).  You could also bathe the wound with boiled and cooled water.  I hope Jazzy makes a quick recovery.   

[andy46]

Dont know if you have tryed this but if the wound is open try bathing it with warm salt water it my help to heal it abit quicker then spray with purple spray

[compostqueen]

You can use Epsom Salts to clean a wound if you have some to hand, as it's antiseptic

Did the vet recommend removing the cyst then?  They usually say one way or the other.  If she specifically said it needs removing then I would seriously consider it

[thebumbles]

Hi,
thanks for your comments. Just an update, when I went to give the girls their tea today, Jazzy was missing, found her in the house, she was all blooming!  The cyst is open now and seems to be getting bigger.  I don't know whether one of the others had a peck at it, so I cleaned her up and sprayed the gentian violet and separated her for the night.  She is in a box in the run, so she can hear the others.  I thought it may have dried up but no, So I guess its a trip to the vet tomorrow.  I hope she will come through.

[Chookiechook]

Hope she got on ok..... its a surprise that vets dont do a local aneasthetic for a cyst.... you would think a quick flick with a scalpel blade and it would possibly pop out!!!

[compostqueen]

That's maybe what the vet meant but it is still a procedure

I bet she's been seen to by now so I hope she's come through it all right

Let us know as we're on tenterhooks 

[thebumbles]

Took her first thing this morning, saw a different vet and she said it wouldn't take long but was very high risk.  So waited for the dreaded phone call at 11am, and what a surprise, it was done and she made it through. I was so pleased because I expected the worse. Collected her straight away. She has been eating and is very quiet, to be expected I suppose -  just before bed time I put her with the others ( under supervision), so as not to cause  any socialisation problems later.   She is back in her box for the night.  Hopefully she will be  OK, got antibiotics. Tomorrow all being well, I will put her in the run with her friends, but in a dog crate, ( knew it would come in handy).  Can't risk the stitches being got at, she had 6.  Will update in a few days. Thanks for your interest. 

[ANHBUC]

   Glad she is doing so well.

[compostqueen]

Glad it all went off all right. Keep an eye on her as the others might try and peck her wound.  I'll bet she'll be fine

Good luck giving her antibiotics    it takes practice 

[grinling]

Does she need egg withdrawl and can you tell the difference in eggs to remove just hers?