Odd "growth" on chick

[adubsroit]

Just bought some chick pullets from our local PGG and all was fine. Earlier this week we noticed that there is a "growth" on the neck of our light Brahma. The chick seems to be doing just fine, as it is still eating and getting water just fine. None of the other chicks have any such "growths," but I was wondering if this is at all common?

Below is a picture, the best I could find, of the chick. The chick in question is the one getting some water, and the growth is the round tab under the beak (it's actually a little to the right, rather than right below). I will be sure to get more pictures up sometime today.

Anyone have any idea as to what we could be dealing with??

 

[Olive Hill]

Is it like a skin tab, or just a round bump? If it's a round bump, like a tumor, it's probably the chick's crop. Check on him again in a bit and it will have shrunk.

 

[adubsroit]

Lol, no no, not the crop. We actually had a huge scare because the first time we saw the crops on our first chicks we weren't expecting the size, or shape. This is much smaller, and much more like a tab (as you can now see much better in the below images). The lighting is bad in the photo with my boyfriend holding the chick, but the hand gives you a good scale as to the size.

The chick is only about 2.5 weeks old. It may be nothing, but it's just not something I was comfortable letting go unspoken of. If it just is a skin tab, is there anything we can do?

 

[newwithchickens]

is it just feathers sticking out looks like it might be some teffled (i think is the bird word) breed basicly they grow like a mustache/beard thing and some can grow just one i dunno though not a chicken expert yet but trying to learn all i can!

 

[adubsroit]

So, bearded Brahma's are not. Attached is another picture, taken today:

It just looks so much like a growth, but I'm pretty sure its a skin tab of sorts, there is not like part that make it seem so.

Is this common?? What can we do??

 

[adubsroit]

Did some non-chicken-centric research and realized if it is a "skin tab," it is actually a skin tag. Technically known as an acrochordon, they are harmless and their removal is seemingly simple and harmless.

However, my one overwhelming overbearing issue is the seemingly simple removal. Aside from more invasive modes of removal such as cutting it off, there are other practices that suggest herbal remedies (which seems a bit much for a chicken), some topical, and others nail polish (apparently coating it will "suffocate" it, until it falls right off). The issue stands that all these remedies are for humans, not our feathered friends.

This is where I need guidance, as I would rather have a consensus from people who know chickens better than I. There is one technique that involves taking some string and tying it tightly around the root/base of the tag and letting it nature take it's course (think of it like a banding castration). One concern is blood. Will the tied-off tag bleed when it falls of?? If so, should we move the chick out of the coop until she is better, and if blood occurs - clean??

It all seems so simple, but this is a chicken we're dealing with, not human.

Thoughts?? Comments??

 

[Olive Hill]

If it's not bothering the chick leave it alone. If he's eating, drinking, hopping around? Who cares that he has some mysterious skin tab/tag on his chin? Animals have survived just fine with worse. Unless it causes his dire problems, don't worry about it.

 

[Beccachelle]

I do not know what the strange growth is. It reminds me of a skin tag. My RIR is 4 weeks old. I had noticed it earlier, but had no guesses on what it could be. As it started getting 'big girl' feathers though, it seemed like it bothered her so I took some thread and tied it tight around the base of it. It is getting a blood supply, she did make noise as we tightened the thread, but I am assuming it will eventually fall off. I will (try to remember to) let you know what happens.