help my hen has developed enormous testicles!

[virgiltracey]

well ok not really testicles but her wattles have swollen and look like enormous feathery testicles! Does anyone know what this is? She has been sneezing a bit over the past week or so but has no other symptoms. None of the other hens seem ill or affected in any way but do I need to quarantine her?

She's an orpington if that makes any difference.

How old is she? Is she a new bird who is developing into a laying hen? What bedding do you use and have they been stressed at all?

Any snot flying about? Bubbling of the eyes?

She is about a year old. We have had her since April and she's been fine until now. No new stresses, in fact we brought them all inside when the snow started in november (moved the coop into a large shed) and the others are all delighted and started laying again having decided inititally that they were stopping for the winter.

No bubbling of the eyes but did have runny nose initially when sneezing (although not now). She hasn't lost any weight and she's been wandering around the garden with the others quite happily today. She does look a little pale and is moulting a little on her face.

Any ideas? Will probably try to get her to the vets on Tuesday.

She was laying previously bramble (she's my double yolker!). We have switched from woodshavings/sawdust to straw in the nesting box since they didn't like the sawdust.

Even laying hens can sometimes change sex, especially in a coop without a cockerel. It's as though there's a vacancy which one of the hens steps forward to fill. Would be intrigued to know if that's what's happening to yours.

Oh gosh duchesse I didn't think of that. We lost our cockerel to a fox in October. I wonder... Its not just larger wattles though, I can't think really how to describe it other than looking like she has feathery testicles under her chin!

DH thinks she has some sort of tumour. It really is quite large - about the size of a ping pong ball.

It would actually be very fitting if she changed sex since this is the hen that DS2 insisted on naming "Mr Chicky"!

Honestly, I lurk on these chicken threads, and they always start off innocently and end up like a David Lynch movie.

I would quarantine her.

Has she eaten any manky old meat eg a rat/mouse/dead rabbit? (Botulism can cause swollen wattles and Foul Cholera, etc)

I would ask the nearest poultry vet for advice just in case it is something which might spread. Poor little hen.

Poor girl. Vet definitely the way to go, with quarantine for her. Hope it's a good outcome. Thought they changed sex if they had a tumor on the ovaries and then became sterile 'males'.

Strokes chin hairs thoughtfully.

Any news?

Large abscess. Its been cut out but she now has to be isolated so that she isnt pecked and the vet isn't sure he's managed to get all of it.

Having a week of it since one of the others has myco (and this one is also likely to have myco given the sneezing!)

:( poor hen.

If any of your chooks have myco, you need to medicate all of them.

and