Vaulted skull

[diamondsilkies]

It feels soft to touch. Also she has tiny piece of comb that's it. Just a little point. The rest is bald skin.

Hmm. That makes me think that maybe @em_dawson could be on to something. I don't know if chickens get hydrocephalus either, but something similar could be happening. Usually, if chickens have a fluid-filled lump, it's recommended to attempt to drain it. I've never had to do it before, so I'm not sure, but the fact that it's so close to her brain/eyes makes me nervous about that. On the other hand, I worry that if it gets too large, it may start to press on her brain/eyes. Hopefully someone with a little more experience will come along soon and give you some better answers.

 

[Lovesumchicks]

Hmm. That makes me think that maybe @em_dawson could be on to something. I don't know if chickens get hydrocephalus either, but something similar could be happening. Usually, if chickens have a fluid-filled lump, it's recommended to attempt to drain it. I've never had to do it before, so I'm not sure, but the fact that it's so close to her brain/eyes makes me nervous about that. On the other hand, I worry that if it gets too large, it may start to press on her brain/eyes. Hopefully someone with a little more experience will come along soon and give you some better answers.

Do you think maybe when she hatched her head wasn't closed all the way? When she pipped on day 21 she unzipped in 1 minute and popped out. Her naval was fully closed. It was a perfect hatch. She was so strong when she come out.

 

[Lovesumchicks]

Not sure what to do to help at this point. I feel terrible for her.

 

[MGG]

Not sure what to do to help at this point. I feel terrible for her.

That's so strange. @azygous what do you think? @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

I have never seen this birth defect before. It does sound like it possibly may invole hydrocephalus or water on the brain, but I cannot find any mention of that in my copy of Diseases of Poultry. I would not under any circumstances try to drain any spinal fluid from the brain due to chances of infection. Please let us know how the chick gets along.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't know what happened there. My best guess would be genetic deformity.
I agree, I would not use this bird for breeding.
IF it were water on the brain, which can be seen in Silkies or other crested birds, I feel that she would have some neurological symptoms similar to Wry Neck or Marek's - difficulty walking, walking backwards, falling over, spinning in circles, etc.

I don't know if someone like @Gray Farms or @nicalandia know more about genetic anomalies or not, but it would be interesting to get their perspective.

 

[Eggcessive]

There have been some reports online of day old chicks with hydrocephalus and a small cerebellum possibly due to chicken parvovirus:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...and_Hydrocephalus_in_Day_Old_Broiler_Chickens

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40600014?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

 

[azygous]

My strictly amateur two cent advice would be to do nothing. The description of the "lump" being soft is suggestive of a hematoma, not to be confused with a subdural hematoma which would put dangerous pressure on the brain.

Rather than water on the brain, it may be a little freakish injury to the head that resulted in a little bleeding just under the skin. The chick's normal behavior suggests this may be something that is harmless but looks frightening. If this is a hematoma, it will eventually be absorbed into the chick's body over several weeks time.

If the chick begins exhibiting some neurological symptoms such as balance or coordination issues or lameness, then you will know this is something that is not going to get better and the chick should probably be euthanized at that point.

 

[Lovesumchicks]

My strictly amateur two cent advice would be to do nothing. The description of the "lump" being soft is suggestive of a hematoma, not to be confused with a subdural hematoma which would put dangerous pressure on the brain.

Rather than water on the brain, it may be a little freakish injury to the head that resulted in a little bleeding just under the skin. The chick's normal behavior suggests this may be something that is harmless but looks frightening. If this is a hematoma, it will eventually be absorbed into the chick's body over several weeks time.

If the chick begins exhibiting some neurological symptoms such as balance or coordination issues or lameness, then you will know this is something that is not going to get better and the chick should probably be euthanized at that point.

Thank you for that, I will baby her for a couple of weeks to see if it gets better. She has developed some swelling around her eye which is hard to the touch.

 

[Lovesumchicks]

Thank you all for your advice. I am going to keep her on 24/7 care in the house with a smaller easy going chick to watch her behaviour. She has developed some swelling around her eyes that is pretty hard to the touch.