Hard lump in throat above crop? Or am I just dumb?

[Aunt Angus]

Hi, there.

Every morning, I check my girls' crops first thing. Today, they were all beautifully empty. However, I noticed my 17 week old brahma seemed to have a hard lump in her throat above her crop. I watched her for a while, and she was acting normally, went right to eating, scratching, bawking. She gets pellets but is allowed to free range in the afternoons. The lump is super firm, not squishy or malleable. I looked in her throat, and all looked normal. Could it be impacted crop? Or am I feeling her actual throat and overreacting? LOL! I'm pretty new at this, and I'm wondering if I just never noticed how her throat feels. I'd get a pic, but it wouldn't show anything.

 

[aart]

I wouldn't panic, just continue to monitor...
....feel some other birds necks in the same place.
Might be easier on the roost after dark.

 

[casportpony]

Is the lump at the top of her throat? If so, that's the glottis, and it's normal.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a drawing of the anatomy of the trachea which sits in front of the esophagus in the neck:

 

[Aunt Angus]

You know what I think it is? I think it's because she is a brahma and so much bigger than the rest of the flock that her glottis feels so prominent.

Short answer: I'm just dumb. LOL!

 

[casportpony]

You know what I think it is? I think it's because she is a brahma and so much bigger than the rest of the flock that her glottis feels so prominent.

Short answer: I'm just dumb. LOL!

Hey, don't feel dumb, I went through the exact same thing before I figured it out!

 

[imnukensc]

Every morning, I check my girls' crops first thing.

Why?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Why?

To make sure they empty overnight and to check for any problems (like impacted crop, etc). I also check feet for bumblefoot, combs for color, eyes for clarity, nose for snot, poop for worms, blood, etc., vents for yuckiness... I want to catch any problems early. And I only have 4 pullets, so it's easy to do.