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Feather Cysts


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A feather cyst on a bird represents the equivalent of an ingrown hair on a human. Feather cysts are larger in size, of course, since feathers are larger than hairs. The cysts are due to malformation of a developing feather under the skin. They appear as oval or elongated swellings involving a single or several feather follicles. Although they may occur anywhere, they most commonly are found involving the primary feathers of the wings.

 

A feather cyst occurs when a growing feather is unable to protrude through the skin and curls within the follicle. As the feather continues to grow, the mass enlarges and a cheesy material composed of keratin accumulates.

 

They can be small yellow masses under the skin or large keratinised masses on the skin. All contain feather material and can be expressed or excised. More appear at subsequent moults, and these cysts are particularly common in those with coarse (buff) feathering. There is a genetic predisposition to their development.....or in other words they are hereditary.

 

Almost all the feather cysts occurred on the outer parts of the wing or the tail, although some were seen on the necks of birds. The cysts were of three types, the first and most common for 70% of the cases, was roughly spherical, up to 1.25cm (just over half an inch) in diameter. Cysts of this type were either very hard or slightly soft, depending on the thickness of the fibrous capsule. This capsule surrounded a core of yellow cheesy material, and the distorted remains of one or more feathers.

 

The second type was very similar to the first, but the surrounding skin was inflamed and thickened. As most of the lesions had not been noticed by the fanciers it was not possible to establish whether the damage to the skin came before or after the development of the cyst.

 

The third type was only seen on wings and accounted for fewer than 10% of cases seen. These were multiple and long and narrow in shape, lying side by side with one cyst corresponding to the follicle of one primary feather. They contained cheesy material as in the other cysts but in a proportion, a very short malformed feather was protruding from the tip of the cyst.

 

Some theories suggest the following causes for this condition: malnutrition due to improper or incomplete diet, genetic disposition, infection, or result of an injury or trauma involving the feather follicle.

 

There was a very strong correlation between the first two types of cysts and marked buffness. Birds with this type of inherited plumage have a strong tendency to develop cysts. It is commonly discussed amongst show breeders that certain family lines of birds carry the uinheritance for feather cysts and these birds are to be culled or avoided in breeding strategy.

 

There is no success with treatment for this condition other than surgical removal and it must be borne in mind that the birds will never regrow the feathers. It is probably not advisable to breed from birds with feather cysts or from their close relatives.

Feather lumps can be quite painful for the bird, depending on their placement. If they are situated where they can cause pressure on a nerve or an internal organ, they can cause long-term damage, on occasion even even death.

 

Treatment consists of surgically removing the involved feather follicles. If the follicle is just incised and the feather with its accumulation of keratin is removed, it will usually recur. Initial resection is not a major procedure, but recurrence is common unless the extensive dissection of the feather follicle is accomplished. In birds with multiple affected feathers, this is not practical.

Previously published reports suggest that feather cyst removal is unrewarding because cysts frequently recur after lancing, curettage, or removal of feather follicle. .

 

Some experienced breeders recommend the following amino acids for a successful, lump-free moult: methionine, lysine, threonine, and tryptophan, which are found in various foods). They also suggest that lecithin (an unsaturated fatty acid) also aids in allowing feather growth to occur smoothly. Adequate B vitamins, mineral content (especially zinc), folic acid and Biotin have also been cited as essential elements required for a trouble-free moult.

 

Example of a feather cyst on the wing of a budgerigar ( this feather cyst has been repeatedly expressed and eventually was cured without surgery ).

 

DSCF6414.jpg

 

DSCF6410.jpg

 

ADDED TO FAQ, under Health, photos in BBC photobucket

Edited by KAZ
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That is a interesting article but i have a budgie who had a feather cyst and he lost all his primary feathers when it burst but his feathers are growing back now where as in the article it states " it must be borne in mind that the birds will never regrow the feathers ". Could it matter how the cyst occurred then to the possibility of regrowth?

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When your birds feather cysts burst it may well have purged the damaged or infected follicle at the same time thereby healing it.

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Recently I had my lutino hen develop a feather cyst on her left wing. The trip to the vet confirmed this and he showed me how to lance the cyst. It appears to regrow after every lance, (so far she has had it lanced twice) but I concentrate on removing as much of the feather and folicle as possible in hope to completely stop the regrowth. The cyst hasn't stopped her from having a happy & healthy life in the aviary. She is looking the best she has ever been (except fot the feather cyst of course).

 

For those interested in some pictures of early stages of a feather cyst I have added them below. Hope this helps others.

 

feathercyst002.jpg

feathercyst001.jpg

Edited by **KAZ**
edited...latino to lutino
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Hi! Could you comment on my pictures (which I don't see how to upload so please see the links) if I'm dealing with a feather cyst? My budgie has the french moulding condition so I think it is more likely his messed up feathers could be injured? He also falls often resulting in broken blood feathers as he cannot fly. Otherwise he is a happily chirping bird with good appetite. The presumed cyst is bleeding from one part and close to it I can see probably the ingrown feather as there is a bit darker spot and something visible under the skin of the lump. I started adding aloe vera gel over the lump. I am curious about lancing the cyst mentioned here above, could I have some tips perhaps? I also came across other websites and forums where there was suggested to tie the lump with a cotton so it would fall off in some days or a week. As I'm not a native English speaker it gets me a bit confused..did they mean cotton thread and how exactly should the lump be tied? Would you recommend it in my case? And one lady removed bits of feathers with sterilized tweezers and gave colloidal silver to her bird that should be acting as a natural antibiotic. The amount for budgies was mentioned to be best at 3-5 ppm but here I could find one containing 10 ppm. Should this get mixed with some proportion of water or you wouldn't recommend to use it? And usage of tweezers..would you use them? Hope you can cast some light and big thanks in advance! :)https://www.dropbox.com/s/lajaam632x0u02s/IMGP0015.JPG?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ddseffwdbjslur9/IMGP0023.JPG?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ayhm8gxs88w87j/IMGP0024.JPG?dl=0

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