Not an injury; 'Tag' on chick's jaw.

[WVduckchick]

Well phooey. I thought he was on to something.

 

[aart]

Huh!!
Great thread and pics!
Funky floating beak cells growing in the wrong place?
Makes me think of a chick that had an 'extra' lower beak under it's regular beak,
wonder what happened to that thread...was in the last few months IIRC.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Well phooey. I thought he was on to something.

Not saying he isn't! Just laying out why I'd have doubts about it. One thing I'm absolutely not is a geneticist!

Added -
I did a quick search and didn't come up with that thread about the chick's beak, but I did stumble on this, which is interesting reading for those inclined;

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5627314/

It's an article about beak deformities in chickens who were beak trimmed (debeaked) at a young age, though apparently there were some which were not debeaked as well. In Japan.

 

[aart]

I did a quick search and didn't come up with that thread about the chick's beak,

Found it!
Link to pic and post there saying it was hard like a beak.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...orn-with-2-beaks.1206911/page-3#post-19161861

ETA was 6 months ago, chick was lost to preds before growing up.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Found it!
Link to pic and post there saying it was hard like a beak.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...orn-with-2-beaks.1206911/page-3#post-19161861

ETA was 6 months ago, chick was lost to preds before growing up.

Fantastic! I'll have to read through that thread in a few - too back and forth at the moment, but I appreciate you finding it!

 

[Kiki]

I can't wait to see what happens with this growth.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Found it!
Link to pic and post there saying it was hard like a beak.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...orn-with-2-beaks.1206911/page-3#post-19161861
ETA was 6 months ago, chick was lost to preds before growing up.

Managed to dig my way through the 502's to read it - very interesting! This chick can't seem to move the tag, and when manipulating it manually it doesn't appear to be connected to anything but the skin. However, if it's a vestigial beak, it's much more rudimentary than that chick's was. I can certainly see it being a patch of cells that are mis-firing to tell it to grow beak material, but not being an entire 'beak' collection, without the internal structure, anatomy and shape of a genuine beak.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Mid-week update! The next should be on the 11th, circumstances permitting.

Photo of tag - chick did not want to cooperate. About 1/4 inch now. You can see the section that was there at hatching distinct from what's grown in since then;

Photo of chick overall - and the chick provided me with proof that digestion's working just fine... Love the wispy little chick-tail, and the color coming in on its foot feathers;

All eight chicks are looking pretty good. The 'twin' to this one is the only questionable, growing much more slowly than the rest, and with more need of heat when it starts to cool down at night. I added the vitamin/electrolyte powder back into the water last night, and it's perked back up today. I'll continue to add it to their water for the next couple weeks, and to one of the waterers for the rest of the birds as well.

 

[Kiki]

Is the tag bigger than it's toenails?

 

[Zinjifrah]

Is the tag bigger than it's toenails?

Yep, considerably bigger. Its toenails are only about an eighth of an inch long, if that, at least the exposed portion.