chicken anatomy observation & question(s)

[electrycmonk]

One of our sexlink girls has a - to our perception - an exaggerated crop that seems to bulge on the lower left side off her rib cage (facing her).

A couple months ago my Better-half noticed the bulge & asked me to 'look into it and help her shrink it - because it's not safe/healthy; something like that....

So I seperated her from her group and set her up with a grit & water bowl for the majority of the day and about bed time I gave her a little food to tide her overnight. Made sure she always had a tonne of water and grit to work it down.

Well it did go down, then repeated the nightly feeding for a couple more nights then returned her to the group.

Well it returned rather quickly and my Better-half asked me to do that again.... So I did.

This time lasted a few more days and the crop stayed lower during this time. However, it returned quicker the next time she went back with the rest.

Well it returned a day later but seemed to stay smaller then before....

Well I've started to notice several of the hens have the slightly larger crop bulging situation now. I'm wondering if it's winter survival related?
As a background tidbit they all have food & waterers inside & outside the coop.

So suggestions? Thoughts? Your observations through the years?
Thanks in advance.

Cheers

 

[azygous]

You could use more information about crop disorders and how to recognize and treat them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

When describing the location of something on a chicken, please refer to it from the chicken's perspective, not yours, so there isn't confusion. The crop is on the chicken's right side of the chest wall.

There is a condition called pendulous crop. This causes chronic sour crop in some cases and can cause impacted crop in others, and the cause is a crop that hangs too low for it to properly drain overnight. This may require a crop bra so the condition can be controlled to maintain crop health.

 

[electrycmonk]

(Snipped for relivance)
When describing the location of something on a chicken, please refer to it from the chicken's perspective, not yours, so there isn't confusion. The crop is on the chicken's right side of the chest wall.

I appreciate the correction this way, and I was very careful to use the description and details as clearly understandable as I have learned over time that different environments have different protocol. My dysliexic, ADHD brain also has mixed up right to left countless times depending on the platform.

As an example:
In some circles of gearhead-dom left & right are from the driver's seat perspective, when discussing things in the engine bay I have run across groups that have it flipped so that left and right are from the bumper facing the engine bay.

Cheers & thanks for the link I'll be re-reading it this week as I check over our flock for comparisons.

The one detail I have not detected is the "sourkraut smell" from their beak area. Even thought the one I was initially referring to has had an occasion for vomiting up some food/water mix after drinking water over the last few months. The oddity to me is how it's not been a continuous issue.

 

[azygous]

There isn't always the sour odor. You can't go by that.

I understand dyslexia, as I am having a problem with my brain swapping left and right since it's gotten old. It's almost as if my brain has a mind of its own.

 

[aart]

What all and how exactly are you feeding @electrycmonk ?

Crop should be full at night and empty by morning.
I put birds in a crate at night with no food or water and check crop, and droppings, in morning to check digestive process.

It's almost as if my brain has a mind of its own.

 

[electrycmonk]

@aart I grew up with family that encouraged a large vocabulary. My Better-half has been encouraging me to use significantly less words with kids for the lack of attention. So in this last 13+ years I have had many times while typing a message for a post that may take me any where from 20-30 minutes to a whole weekend before I have clearly and concisely finished my post..... Only to discover from replied in thread the error of my ways.
Exhibit (a) my original post.

I spent over a day typing it, tidbit by tidbit.... The little "saved draft" ballin showed up numerous times so I felt safe not copy/paste to notepad......
*Bam* gone. Page reloaded with only the subject box filled in.
Started the text over from scratch....
*Bam #2* gone again.....
Now the version above is the 3rd fresh attempt and it was written with a high level of frustration..... So, I'm sorry it produced such a question from you.

So, normal feeding and watering was and still is done via the red & while containers of feed (currently layer mix from TSC) with a sprinkling of seashell crumbs as the coop hasn't received it's upgraded seperate cups for the calcium/seashell chunks and the grit cup as I see them go for it from time to time still(and I have a couple small bags left to use). Watering is the same red & white 5qt plastic containers all along, I mix in ACV & from time to time ice cubes when it was warmer. We have a well too by the way so no worries about chlorine.

Now as for when we seperated the one girl she had her own crate like space with a grit and calcium/seashell cups and a water bowl for the whole day. They routinely woke me about 5-6:30 every morning - or one of the dogs did- so she'd get fresh water within 10 minutes of then - to start the day. I'd check for how much and what her poo would look like. I'd scoop it up every morning and every afternoon & right before my bedtime (11PM-1AM). The first day and each day after I'd give her some fees after my dinner and her crop was much smaller. Then when it reached the usual size when compared with the other girls I gave her more food in small batches morning, noon-ish, & night. Then after a while she went back in to the group. Within a few days after returning she got huge again. So I pulled her back out and started the pattern over again.
Did it 3 times before they all finally got to move in to the coop.

So she did get big 2 times while in the coop & run this fall I did notice that it had shrunk a bit after a few days.

So now.... Over the last 3 weeks I've noticed a few of the other hens also have started to show a slightly larger crop that isn't as big as hers got but, they are enough to stand-out.

So, I hope this clears the mud.

 

[azygous]

Chickens can consume a lot of food and the crop can enlarge significantly. By itself it means nothing other than some chickens can behave like pigs.

A problem crops up, forgive the unintended pun, when a chicken has a huge crop and appears not to be feeling well. That is when you want to be sure to check that individual in the morning to be sure a crop disorder isn't developing. If you discover a crop hasn't emptied overnight, getting an early start on treatment can produce a very fast and satisfactory recovery.

When this becomes a chronic issue with an individual chicken, then I suspect a pendulous crop and I will employ a crop bra to see if that can improve crop function. Sometimes this can mean the difference between a chicken having a few more years to live and certain death from sour crop setting up a starvation cycle.

 

[electrycmonk]

/Side note I love puns. Unintended or fully intended.

That being said then I will be adjusting my focus to a comparative study over the coming days. As the initial girl in question has never had an eating problem, even on those seemingly random days she has vomited.

I plan to take a couple pics to share for other wiser eyes to see and offer sage wisdom.
{Edit to add sizable "congrats" to @azygous for just finishing their 10th lap around the sun as a member here and [ignorant assumption here] at least 10 yrs with chickens AND an active member here.)

 

[123RedBeard]

How old are these sex-links?

 

[Shadrach]

Do any of these hens show any signs of being unwell?
Crops come in all shapes and sizes. A bulging crop is not something that suggests there is anything wrong with a chicken.
Pendulous crop can cause problems, but before one starts making crop bras and worrying about what if problems, it's better to know if a problems exists.
I'll try and get a picture at some point of what could be mistaken as pendulous crop but is in fact a healthy crop on a slim and fit hen.