chick with tumor=major newbie fail

[Allieharmon]

This is Zillah whom I thought had a tumor. I realized that it is a swollen crop. i have a lot to learn!

 

[CMV]

It's a common mistake. I can't tell you how many times folks have come on here in a panic "OMG! There is this lump on my chick's chest! What is it?!?!"

We hear it too often.

Did your chick's crop go back down to size?

 

[Allieharmon]

Zillah's crop did not go back down.I'm wondering how long it has been like that. They are on medicated starter feed, but should i get some grit? They were getting a small amount of ground oats in their food at the hatchery. I also have another one who's crop is not nearly as big but not normal size. I'm going to do some research, but If you have any recommendations I'd appreciate it. I hope this has nothing to do with her crop being so big, but Zillah pecks at everyone's downy feathers. She's like a little groomer. I just hope she isn't eating them.

 

[CMV]

They shouldn't need grit with that diet. If they are eating things other than chick starter then they will need grit. The most common crop issue with youngsters is that they're eating the bedding/shavings. This is not good for them and can lead to impaction. You might want to swap out bedding if that is the cause.

Oh, and keep an eye on the fuzz picker. Picking can grow into a very bad habit.

 

[Allieharmon]

Well, the feather picker is the one with the swollen crop. What should I do about the feather picking? What is better for bedding than pine shavings?

 

[CMV]

I had a group that couldn't resist eating the shavings. I ended up having to use a towel/rags in the brooder. What a nuisance! They out-grew the habit eventually, but I had one get all stopped up for a few days. (Now that I think about it, this group was also the group that grew into horrible feather pickers. I ended up culling most of that group for aggression and feather picking.) Some limited access to grit and a little olive oil soaked bread should help to move things through. Watch out for the feather/shaving eater tanking up on grit. Birds that eat the weird things can also kill themselves by eating too much grit.

 

[Allieharmon]

Thanks for the advice. I gave Zillah some olive oil and massaged her crop and it is now back to normal. I did see her eat a small piece of bedding tonight and she is still picking at the down but I feel much better knowing that I was able to resolve the situation quickly. I'm not sure it won't happen again with this crazy one tho :-/