Feather worms?

Hello

I was harvesting chickens this morning and the first one I started de-feathering had worms or worm like thinks coming from the skin where the feather was. I'm not very experienced with chicken harvesting this way (used to skin them) and it's the first time I noticed this. In the previous batches, totalling maybe 10-15 birds, I never noticed this.

I can't find anything on this phenomena online or in the books on chickens (and their health) that I have. Not knowing what it is exactly doesn't help.

So, if this is normal, please tell me, this cock ended up on the compost pile as I didn't trust it and I wouldn't like to just have to kill them all. The cockerels are looking healthy and are active when you enter the pen.

I'm trying apple cider vinegar in the water, diatom earth, dried kelp and garlic. I used to give them pre soaked (one day) grains, but they seem to prefer dry grains.


Thank you very much!
Even if it is just a name so I can search in a certain direction, that would already help.

Do you have a picture you can post and share? That would help.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ernz7hvvu06h8li/2017-10-09%2013.34.31.jpg?dl=0

Most of it is no longer visible, but some in on the back.
The most obvious I circled in black. It used to be really worm shaped with a black spot on the top.

I did burn off the hairs with too strong a flame, also hoping it would go away, it didn't at that time.
What I'm thinking now, if it's not an actual worm, the water was 84-85°C.

It could be the cells that used to line the shaft of the feather have been pulled out during plucking and inverted, so it looks like a tube or worm.  



That's what it looks like to me anyway.  

Looks like what we called a 'pinfeather' back home. Along the wing edge you will commonly find these. Unless it was writhing and moving by itself, that bird was just fine for consumption.

When we butchered chickens they would be found near tail, wing edges, a few near the neck nape. Once in awhile elsewhere like thighs or back. Depending on where the bird was in plumage (you mentioned this one was moulting). Grab and pull. A small needlenose pliers might make it easier. And they might ooze something when squeezed that hard, that's normal.

Burra Maluca wrote:...  

Picture is broken (says my pc)