Little knobby "gland ?" on top of tail ???

[coloradochick]

My 5 Pekin babies are turning 2 weeks today and tomorrow. I let them play in the tub with a little water today and noticed that 2 of them had a knob on the top of their tails. Are these Preening glands? Never noticed them when their mom and dad were babies.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Yes, it's the oil gland.

I've watched my geese nibble and rub their head all over the oil gland and then proceed to rub their head over the rest of their feathers.

Chickens have them too, just much smaller and more discreet. You have to cut them out when you process a bird to eat or else it contaminates the meat. Just an interesting tidbit.

-Kim

 

[coloradochick]

Thanks Kim

Is it possibly

bigger on males than females ?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I wouldn't count on it as a method of sexing them. I'm sure if there was a considerable difference in size, more people today would be looking at the oil gland instead of the vent. LOL

-Kim

 

[coloradochick]

I kind of figured that would be your answer but I thought I'd giv'r a shot anyways

 

[d.k]

* First time I saw that gland on Miss Chook I thought it was a hideous parasite of some sort!!! ~

 

[coloradochick]

I could only really see it on 2 of the 5 baby ducklings and they're the bigger of the 5 so I thought, "Hmmm, maybe that might be an indicator" "Maybe that's where the Curly Feather grows from...." Nope.