Does anyone know what this could be? need help identifying this on my rooster

[lacrossemomjill]

Does anyone know what this is? I saw my one year old rooster picking at the top of his back before his tail feathers, this is what i saw. its about half an inch long and hard. Please help!

 

[QueenMisha]

That's an oil gland. Chickens will collect oil from it on their beaks and spread it over their feathers to keep them in good shape. If you watch them preen you'll see they frequently touch over the oil gland before going back to other parts of their body. If the oil gland looks healthy and is not in any way dirty or inflamed then it's perfectly normal. From what I can see in this photo, it's got a little bit of excess oil on it but nothing to really worry about. You can use a q-tip or wet paper towel to clean up the excess oil of need be.

 

[lacrossemomjill]

Thank you so much for replying!!! I am so relieved.