[JACDORE]

Your gonna all shout the answer at the screen now and tut at my ignorance.  My ladies got very wet today and I therefore notice a lumpy sticky out feather on their backs near to the tail end.  Trying to find it in books but cant.  Ended up looking at all 6 and they all have one.  What is it and whats it for??

Only taken 3years of owning hens and getting on friendly terms to cuddle and hold but never ever noticed it, not even hubby as just shown him to a "Ooooo, never seen that before, have they all got one" reply.

[Ice]

Preen gland?

[JACDORE]

gosh that was quick.  I'll look up a preen gland?  Thankyou 

[JACDORE]

Yes Ice your so right, a big tick for you, thankyou very much for adding to our knowledge 

[Ice]

No problemo.

[evie2]

Your not the first one to ask what it was JACDORE and you wont be the last  that's what chicken keeping's all about, learning something new every day

[bramford]

what does the gland do 

[bantam novice]

It supplies the oil that keeps the feathers healthy.  Chickens rub their beaks in the oil from the gland before they preen their feathers.

[Nickchick]

Don't worry about asking silly questions, I asked about a lump on my chucks chest - it was her crop!

[evie2]

I think I probably get the prize for the daftest question ever when I asked if temperature of the eggs during incubation determined the the gender of the chick

Unfortunately I can't find the original post

[Lindeggs]

evie2, in a lot of animals (especially reptiles) it's absolutely true - a degree or two difference is all it takes to determine whether the hatchling will be male or female.  So that is definitely not a silly question.

The questions about crops and preen glands are also very common.  As is the question, "will my chickens still lay eggs, even if I don't have a rooster?"

Things that seem obvious once we know them aren't obvious to everyone.  Personally I like it when people ask these questions because at least it's something I can answer with confidence! 

[joyfull]

  me too 

[bantam novice]

    
Hear hear!

[Pixieswift]

Very funny indeed this one, i found the preen gland by accident when my little girl was sick, i thought the other girls had been picking on her at night when i was not watching and pulled her feather out i spoilt her for a week with cuddles and treats then i noticed the girls all rubbing there heads in the same area then wiping there feathers so i checked and they all had them did some research and found out what it was.... The joys of hens keeping i learn something everyday...

[evie2]

evie2, in a lot of animals (especially reptiles) it's absolutely true - a degree or two difference is all it takes to determine whether the hatchling will be male or female.  So that is definitely not a silly question.

I know and at the time it was one of those thinking out loud questions   However, recently I was talking to a breeder who said that last year they had noticed more cockerels were hatched than hens so maybe this is an opportunity for some research, pity my geek daughter is interested in space, the final frontiers and all that malarkey