Bulging crops in 2-week-old chicks a concern

[JillsChicks]

I've been feeding my chickies starter crumbles - nothing else. They all have developed large crops - I'd say large marble sized. They are noticeable and odd looking.

My girlfriend told me to give them a little sandy grit from outside. They gobbled it up, but have not shown any difference in the size of their crops. I read up on swollen/impacted crops on the chick emergency thread, but it seems odd that all the chicks would have it at the same time. They are on pine shavings having been on paper towels their first week. Should I give oil, yogurt? What's going on here?

Thanks!

 

[chcknrs]

Wait until morning, then check the crops again. They fill up with food, and then digest it. You may want to take the food out overnight unless you get up real early. You'll probably find the crops are down in the morning.

 

[happyhen]

They probably over ate, they can be such little gluttons. Check them in the morning. My hatchery recommended fine chick grit from day one "salted" on their starter crumbles.

I'm sure you did right and they will be fine in the morning.

 

[Gindee77]

Mine do that occasionally too, they are just piggies. It usually goes away without any help on my part. I freaked out when I first saw that

...they were so swollen, it made their down separate and you could see bare skin. I thought they all had developed abscesses!

I felt so silly when I figured out what it was.

I give mine a bit of parakeet grit every evening when I do my chick chores. They love it more than anything! I love the sound of them pecking the metal feeder eating that grit.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Many brands of chick starter have a sufficient quantity of grit included, check yours to see if you really need to add grit to your chicks' diet.

Those bulging baby crops are certainly alarming to see, but most often NO cause for any concern. As long as they are acting/looking/sounding comfortable & content you don't have to worry or intervene.

Enjoy your baby chickies!

 

[JillsChicks]

Thank you! You were all exactly right. All the crops were shrunken this morning. This batch of chicks is much more active than my last batch and perhaps they compete for the feed. They get along famously, so I don't think anyone is being picked on or not getting her share.

Thank you for your advice. JillsChicks