So tonight I butchered a hen that I was sure wasn't laying, and turns out she was actually sick - probably an internal laid egg. I caught her just before roosting time (what a chase around the coop to catch her!) As I butchered, the first clue that something was wrong was that her crop was empty. That was convenient for me, but seemed like it was abnormal (turns out, it was abnormal).
That is when I realized I know nothing about the condition of my hens' crops at night, and I also realized this is easy to fix. I went to the coop and palpated everyone's crop. Of 11 hens, 3 had crops I could not palpate - presumably empty. Most had crops approximately the size of golf balls. One had a larger crop, maybe the size of an extra large egg or so.
These are large dual purpose breeds - Buckeyes and Barnevelders. What should I expect for crop size in the evening? Are there management points I should consider for the birds with empty crops? (One of the birds with an empty crop is on my "watch" list already. The other two just got moved back into the pen today after being in quarantine in the chicken tractor for several weeks. I'm not too concerned about them.... yet).
That is when I realized I know nothing about the condition of my hens' crops at night, and I also realized this is easy to fix. I went to the coop and palpated everyone's crop. Of 11 hens, 3 had crops I could not palpate - presumably empty. Most had crops approximately the size of golf balls. One had a larger crop, maybe the size of an extra large egg or so.
These are large dual purpose breeds - Buckeyes and Barnevelders. What should I expect for crop size in the evening? Are there management points I should consider for the birds with empty crops? (One of the birds with an empty crop is on my "watch" list already. The other two just got moved back into the pen today after being in quarantine in the chicken tractor for several weeks. I'm not too concerned about them.... yet).
