4 day old chick has neck lump

[Paula321]

I have 8 new chicks. One is 10 days old and the rest are 4 days old. One chick has a hard mass on her neck. It is under the skin, can not be shifted around and feels bony. It is on her right side (from her point of view) and seems quite large. She seems shy compared to the rest of the chicks and seems like a loner. The other two Road Island Reds don’t have this. Any thoughts on what this could be? I’m wondering if it is a goiter. They have access to the yard daily so there could be some exposure but we don’t spray and I’ve stood over all of them as we have eagles and hawks nearby.

 

[azygous]

Are you sure this "lump" isn't the crop you're feeling? Apart from the photo being out of focus, I am not able to detect anything unusual.

Is the chick behaving normally? Eating okay? Pooping okay?

Or is the chick uninterested in food? Is the poop dried up and tiny or none at all?

What has this chick been eating? Does it have grit available to it?

 

[Paula321]

Here is another neck view.

 

[Paula321]

The chick seems to have all of its crop on the right side then. The rest of the chicks seem to have them in the middle. See the next posted shot.

 

[Paula321]

Maybe it is just offset from center sometimes normally?

 

[aart]

Crop is on the right side.

 

[Paula321]

Are you sure this "lump" isn't the crop you're feeling? Apart from the photo being out of focus, I am not able to detect anything unusual.

Is the chick behaving normally? Eating okay? Pooping okay?

Or is the chick uninterested in food? Is the poop dried up and tiny or none at all?

What has this chick been eating? Does it have grit available to it?

It does have chick grit available. It eats regularly. It doesn’t have pasty butt and poops. The only off thing is that the chest/neck seems to be off to the right.

 

[Paula321]

Crop is on the right side.

That explains it. I’m a newbie!

 

[aart]

That explains it. I’m a newbie!

Common 'concern'...especially with chicks, they can really pack that thing full!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Sometimes chicks' crops can get so full they look like they'll pop!! It can be really freaky looking!