Cyst? Or..?

[shwaaskii]

HI! New to chick raising!! We found 2 little babies on the side of the road yesterday, abandoned in a small cat carrier. I'm thinking they're 3-4 weeks old. We just spotted a small puffy bump on one and don't know what it is.. is it a cyst? Was he/she pecked? Is it an infection?

 

[CascadiaRiver]

Is it on her throat? It could just be her crop being full if she ate

 

[azygous]

Almost all of these "cyst" scares on baby chicks turn out to be a case of thin down covering the throat area and the crop appearing predominant.

Look carefully at the chick as you hold it up facing you. If this bulge is low on the chick's right side of its chest wall, it's the crop.

It's normal for baby chicks' crops to be quite large because they eat like little pigs. Nothing to worry about.

 

[shwaaskii]

It's more on the back or side of her neck/throat

 

[shwaaskii]

I'm pushing her head down/forward with my pointer finger if that helps

 

[lazy gardener]

Have you fed them? If so, that's good. Wait till morning, when they haven't eaten all night, and see if that lump is still there. I'm betting it is the crop.

 

[azygous]

It's more on the back or side of her neck/throat

The right side or left?

 

[shwaaskii]

The right side or left?

His/her right so when looking at hI'm left and I did feel it more just a little bit ago it does seem like it may be big and come down like his whole shoulder blade above breast/wing

 

[azygous]

If it's much smaller in the morning, it's probably the crop. It could be well off to the side on your chick instead of the usual center-right chest. Some of us humans aren't perfect either.

As long as your chick is eating and pooping and is active and keeps up with the others in size, there isn't anything to worry about.

 

[shwaaskii]

I will check in the am. Will they normally rest even with the heat lamp on all night? Not sure if they eat while I'm not out there but every time I go out they'rearly (2) huddled up next to each other sleeping under lamp and as soon as I walk in they both get and start chowing!