[Elcie]

On a chicken's back, towards their tail, inbetween their feathers, there is a strange little flap, nubbin type thing!  I only looked when one of the fellow chicken keepers at work said that both her chickens had them so I started investigating and ours have it too.

Any ideas?

[agapanthus]

It's their preening gland

[hillfooter]

Yes that's exactly what it is I remember when i first saw one I wondered if the chicken had some kind of growth or abcess. They extract oils from it which they rub on their feathers.  You've probably seen tham do this when they are preening.
HF

[Elcie]

Wow that is brilliant, thank you so much!  That makes sense as the way that my friend first noticed hers was that one of her chickens was apparently rubbing it and that why they investigated.

Thanks again 

[sarah f]

i learnt something new also    i didnt know

[cheriton]

Thats new information for me too agapanthus - thank you .

[feelingbroody]

Gosh I didnt even know they had that, thank you 

[Elcie]

Pleased I wasn't the only one who hadn't spotted this earlier!

[dizzylizzie]

Well my 'naked' ex -batt has grown 3 feathers on her preen gland.....they stand proudly there and she strutts around with her preen gland stuck up in the air so far there is no way you could miss it!

[Flowerpower136]

You wouldn't normally see it.  But I realised what it was when I saw Tilly, threadbare ex batt preening her few remaining quills.  She kept going back to this little 'whatsit' whilst preening, so I guessed that's what it was.

Bit like having oil of Olay on tap, could do with one myself.

[hillfooter]

You wouldn't normally see it.  But I realised what it was when I saw Tilly, threadbare ex batt preening her few remaining quills.  She kept going back to this little 'whatsit' whilst preening, so I guessed that's what it was.

Bit like having oil of Olay on tap, could do with one myself.

Well it might be more useful than a butterfly tattoo.

[Flowerpower136]

You wouldn't normally see it.  But I realised what it was when I saw Tilly, threadbare ex batt preening her few remaining quills.  She kept going back to this little 'whatsit' whilst preening, so I guessed that's what it was.

Bit like having oil of Olay on tap, could do with one myself.

Well it might be more useful than a butterfly tattoo.

That's Lizzie.  I'm not brave enough!

[joyfull]

Lizzie has a chicken tattoo and I have swallow type of bird (gained whilst at a bikers rally may year ago  ) 

[Flowerpower136]

Lizzie has a chicken tattoo and I have swallow type of bird (gained whilst at a bikers rally may year ago  ) 

Oh sorry, I misunderstood.  Anymore secrets you'd like to share . . . . .

I used to be a biker, somehow managed to get through untattood!

[joyfull]

wouldn't dare this is a family forum