Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[umbrella thursday]

When examining one of my pekins last night I discovered a large grey/brown mass on her feathers just under her wing. At first, we thought it was a growth, however my husband patiently clipped around it and it came off with the feathers. Her skin appeared intact, but it was a really horrible thing, about the length of my little finger and slightly squidgy with gunk inside. Does anybody have any idea what this could be? She appears well in herself, her comb is red and she's eating and drinking normally. I'm going to treat them all for lice and mites this evening but am worried it could be something really bad. Can anybody help?

[Daphne]

Could it have been a large cluster of lice/mite eggs? they do look pale browny/grey and would be on the feather shaft and I imagine would be squidgy If so, you need to treat all your girls immediately and double check the housing for red mite as well. Other than that, I am a bit stumped.

[umbrella thursday]

HI Daphne and thank you for replying so quickly. It's the only thing I can think it would be, although it was huge and solid looking, just squidgy inside. They haven't been treated for a while. Usually I'm on this but am heavily pregnant with back problems and have probably been less thorough than I could have been. I will treat them all today. She appears happy this morning, pecking around as usual, so I'm hoping it isn't anything worse.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sounds disgusting .

 

I'm not sure if it would be lice eggs - they tend to stick like concrete to the feather shaft right by the skin and are generally quite pale in colour.

 

Don't know what it could be instead though. If it was just on the feather itself and not the skin, it probably just happened to be there, rather than doing any harm to your girl!

[umbrella thursday]

It really was disgusting. I had to make the husband examine it afterwards because it made me feel sick Her skin appeared intact though and she ran off happily. She also didn't seem in any pain when we examined her, she was crooning away. I'm going to treat them all anyway, it's time I did so.

[The Dogmother]

Lice eggs are white, NFM eggs are dark grey.

 

Sounds as if it might have been an old cyst around the feather follicle, which has come away as the feather grew through. Just a guess though.

[umbrella thursday]

Thanks Dogmother - we wondered if it was a cyst. However, I've just been out to check the girls, she seems completely normal and - as usual - there is a big slug in their food bowl. This lump was the exact shape and size of a slug and given that we have a huge problem with slugs (why oh why won't my girls eat them?), I'm wondering if it wasn't a dessicated slug that got caught in her feathers somehow - they seem to go for the food and then this kills them. Hmm.

[The Dogmother]

Could be

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I must admit that crossed my mind but I thought it sounded a bit daft .

[umbrella thursday]

I think it sounds a bit mad too to be honest, but it did look very slug like - and was rubbery. We have a really dreadful problem with slugs - everything we grow gets eaten despite my trying everything from beer to copper tape. I've treated all the girls anyhow and their house has had a good old scrub and de-mite. She seems quite happy, so fingers crossed she'll be ok.