Chick rolling her head

[ImNotYogi]

Thats a weird way to describe it. More of a combination of a head roll and, to a degree, neck crank. I can't find it now but I read somewhere on here that it's a sign of a crop problem. I massaged her crop a little bit. It was a little firm initially but loosened and she seems to have stopped the head/neck movement for now. What causes that movement and was that the appropriate response?

 

[azygous]

Yes, it was a signal she had an uncomfortable crop and you followed your excellent instincts and did the very best thing you could do for your chick! Congratulations on being such a natural chickmama!

 

[ImNotYogi]

Awesome. Thanks! I have another question. When is a crop too large, if it ever is? The chicks are 2 weeks and are my first. I'm new to seeing crops and sometimes it just looks like something should be wrong. But they're active and eating/drinking/pooping normally.

 

[azygous]

Crops are like our stomachs. They stretch to an amazing degree to accommodate an occasional bout of piggishness. Most of the time, we stop the binge due to feeling full before things end tragically. So it is with baby chicks.

Some hens will make real pigs of themselves and their crops will all but drag on the ground. It's a very temporary situation, and no one, as a rule, suffers tragic consequences from her binge eating.

If you spy an individual with a ponderous crop, just monitor to make sure the crop is emptying, which should happen rather soon.