bulging chest ~ issue?

both my chicks have the right side of the chest bumped up...and when I feel it, it feels like a muscle...but if they had muscles there, wouldn't they have it on both sides?

My thought was could it be that they ate shavings and/or the new start feed (that is more pebbling then the powder food the feedstore was feeding them) and they need grit?

I gave them some grit last night after reading that it was ok to do so (they are on day 5..wait 6...hmmm? math this late, not good, they were born on Sat april 18th)

Anyhow, if it's an impacted whatever they store their food in (ignorant to formal terms...sorry!) will that grit help in a few days?

how would I know if that's it?

What can I do to help them?

Other then me seeing that bump, they both act very content, sleeping when I come in the room the get up, peep a little, peck at the food and water, then after a little hello....I think they go back to resting, because when I check on them, they are normally resting with the stuffed animals in their brooder...there's only two of them.

I think you are feeling a full crop. It is where the feed goes after they eat it and before it starts to be digested.

Darin

Post a pic, it makes it easier to tell what you are talking about. I am also thinking a full crop.

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So do they always have a little bump there, because they always eat....???

my girls are for sure eating, they investigate everything, peck at any and all things they can...

My camera is out in the car and well to be honest I don't like going way out to my car at night because we live in the boonies and we have had mountain lions right close the house many years ago and you only need that once to freek ya out! DH is not stopped, but he's sleeping, otherwise I'd send him out there in to the darkness! LOL

Soooo I'll take a pic tomorrow and post it, I'm guessing it's the crop, but I would like to make sure!

It is almost certainly the crop. They do not need grit to process chick starter feed; that comes later. If the lump has gone down in the early AM, you will know it was a full crop.

Impacted crops are unusual in any chicken, and do not usually happen until they are much older. I would not give grit at this stage.

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Too late...I did give them a small bowl of grit the other day and they pecked for a bit...and since I have given a small sprinkling on their food each day, the lumps are down now, still slightly there, but I'm guessing that is what it is...

I have my camera now, but hubby took some pics of the kids with the chickens and I'm going to download those first and see if you can see the lump in any of his pics (don't want to over flash their poor little eyes if I can help it)

I would guess the crop too. It freaked me out one day, my neighbor (who knows a lot about chickens) had me feel a little "golfball" kinda lump under their necks. When he told me what it was I was shocked I didn't know that was like their stomach pouch thing. I'm gonna stop talking/writing now. I'm too tired and it's not making sense. Night.

here is one pic taken tonight...you can sort of see it there on the barred rock (black bird) ... it's smaller then it was, but still there for sure...I'll keep looking at the pics we took tonight of the kids with the chickens and see if I can find another that shows it more...

here is a pic from the other day when it was really big, before giving grit...