chicken anatomy observation & question(s)

[azygous]

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.

We are able to determine if a crop issue exists by checking the crop early in the morning before food and water are made available. A crop that has not completely emptied overnight, has a problem. When you also notice that a chicken is carrying a crop low and it is noticeably hanging below her chest wall, these are hard-to-deny clues of a possible pendulous crop.

By installing a crop bra on a chicken with a droopy crop, you will then be able to see if it helps the crop to empty overnight. It takes a few nights and bra adjusting to be sure you have it on the chicken correctly, but if the crop then empties, you will know that the crop bra is something that will benefit the hen. Sometimes, it only takes a few weeks for a pendulous crop to correct itself. In other cases, the chest wall muscles are so shot that the hen will need the bra from here on.

 

[Shadrach]

We are able to determine if a crop issue exists by checking the crop early in the morning before food and water are made available. A crop that has not completely emptied overnight, has a problem. When you also notice that a chicken is carrying a crop low and it is noticeably hanging below her chest wall, these are hard-to-deny clues of a possible pendulous crop.

By installing a crop bra on a chicken with a droopy crop, you will then be able to see if it helps the crop to empty overnight. It takes a few nights and bra adjusting to be sure you have it on the chicken correctly, but if the crop then empties, you will know that the crop bra is something that will benefit the hen. Sometimes, it only takes a few weeks for a pendulous crop to correct itself. In other cases, the chest wall muscles are so shot that the hen will need the bra from here on.

Can't fault much of that.
What I haven't read is anything that would lead me to believe these hens have a crop problem. The OP's husband saying the crop looks a bit big isn't the kind of evidence that would lead my to making crop bras and assuming the other hens mentioned also have problems.
A picture or two might help.
An exact feeding description would also help.
The assumption that all chickens have a completely empty crop in the morning is erroneous. We kill any chickens we intend to eat here early in the morning; perhaps an hour before they are all let out to free range. I have yet to come across one with a completely empty crop. Going by this, either they all have had crop problems, or the assumption is incorrect.
The OP suggests that because it is winter the hens may be going to roost with more in their crop than they would in the shorter summer nights. This would be my experience here during the winter months.
I will try to get a picture of a hen here who I think should I post a picture of in another thread and mention I'm worried about her crop, my feeling is I would get told she has a pendulous crop. There is little doubt that her crop protrudes more than some others but I've seen no signs of crop malfunction over the last couple of years.
My concern is that assumptions are being made regarding this hens health on virtually zero evidence.

 

[Shadrach]

Well, here's a stroke of luck. She just turned up at the house.
Not the greatest of pictures but I hope they demonstrate my point.

 

[electrycmonk]

How old are these sex-links?

The flock is all 9-10 months old. Sexlinks are about 1/4 of flock. We have 25 birds total.

 

[electrycmonk]

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.

As for "unwell"? None seem to show any that I can see. They are ALL very active, they all have a great interest in eating from my hand 'any time of day or night' to this day. Even the Roo's.

They love it when I bring them cabbage head for the basket, fresh veggie scraps in a bowl.... A few like banana - not all.(smirks) they all seem to enjoy the sporadic sprinkling of scratch seeds.

 

[123RedBeard]

Being so young ... it seems like you got some that had weak genetics ...

 

[electrycmonk]

Well, here's a stroke of luck. She just turned up at the house.
Not the greatest of pictures but I hope they demonstrate my point.

View attachment 1987117 View attachment 1987118

So to make sure I'm on the same page as your previous post. These pictures are of a slightly larger but, healthy hen? If so then I have seen this several times on the main hen I'm originally posted about.

 

[Shadrach]

So to make sure I'm on the same page as your previous post. These pictures are of a slightly larger but, healthy hen? If so then I have seen this several times on the main hen I'm originally posted about.

I don't know if the hen in the picture I posted is larger than your hen.
I don't know if your hen has or hasn't got a crop problem.
The thing is, neither does anyone else.
The hen in the pictures I posted is a healthy active hen.
azygous gave you a link to an informative article about crop disorders.
If the crop is not impacted and there are no signs of sour crop and the hen eats, drinks and poops then without an examination carried out by an avian vet, you are left with opinions here and your own common sense.
What I have done is post pictures so you have something to compare to.

 

[electrycmonk]

I don't know if the hen in the picture I posted is larger than your hen.
I don't know if your hen has or hasn't got a crop problem.
The thing is, neither does anyone else.
The hen in the pictures I posted is a healthy active hen.
azygous gave you a link to an informative article about crop disorders.
If the crop is not impacted and there are no signs of sour crop and the hen eats, drinks and poops then without an examination carried out by an avian vet, you are left with opinions here and your own common sense.
What I have done is post pictures so you have something to compare to.

I'm sorry I had text error from holiday distraction. Looking at your pictures and was asking if she was a healthy hen and if she was "mature" and a typical example of normal -if enlarged- crop?

If so then by looking at surounding stuff in pictures to estimate scale of hen to my sexlink that is the original topic -i'd feel comfortable saying the hens are nearly identical in size.

 

[electrycmonk]

So I just took these pics, cropped them (unintended pun)
This is the sexlink I'm referring to in the beginning post:

She is the left red hen below:

Here is size parallel for the other girls below:

And I. This bottom picture the red sexlink in question is at the top of the picture - farthest from my feet in picture.