I can see food through my chick's skin...

[JessG35]

I have a 3 week old chick who's been grazing in the backyard with a flock of older chicks (4-5 weeks, but they're quite a bit bigger.) The chick is tiny with light gray feathers, so I noticed today that there was a pinkish bulging area above its wing joint.

Upon looking closer, I could see what looks like seeds and grass. Could it be that it's too young to be grazing? It has access to chick food, but would rather keep up with its big brothers and sisters (and does a great job!)

Could it be an impacted crop?

The chick is happy and active, but the bulging area is only on one side.

 

[lightchick]

I think he's OK. The crop is only on one side.

 

[Veggie4life55]

I can't really tell by the picture ... If it's on the chicks back right above the wing joint it could be a busted air sack ... You can see through the skin a little when this happens and it can heal on its own ... Chickens dont breath the same way we do the have several air sacks that fill with air... When one busts or leaks it causes an air filled bubble under the skin that u can sometimes see through ...
Does it feel like a bubble or a normal crop?
If that's the front of the chick it could still be the air sac pushing out maybe on part of the crop ? I'm not sure... But if the chick is happy, active and eating I wouldnt worry about it... If he starts standing off by himself, not eating, drinking, lethargic, etc ... Then I would be worried about impaction of something in that direction.

 

[dominoe3045]

What ever happened? I have the exact same thing happening to mine but he is really sick. Same spot as yours, looks like the same thing.