Chicken with funky breast / crop

[Australorpfamily]

Not sure where to post this... and does anyone have pictures of what your bird looks like with a crop impaction or crop issues?

our Black Australorp (28week old) named HeadHen has a weird funky extended breast, on one side. Been this way for a week or two, been monitoring. I've read all articles/posts about crop on here. Her crop feels like the others do, so unless I'm feeling a wrong section idunno lol

I've been massaging her crop once or twice a day. tried an Epson bath and coconut oil today as well(9/11). I've been adding the Probiotics to their wet mash, and she goes nuts for it off the spatula (been feeding them that way since chicks lol not the probiotics but spatula once I dump it into bowl)

She's been eating, drinking, talking, laying eggs. Running around with the rest of them.

Food: dumor chick start and grow, free choice. Occasional greens-kale, cabbage, clover.

Free choice grit and oyster shell(pebbles and flakes, at times egg shells too)

Buckets of water plus a sled and tub to cool off/drink.

Just not sure. She seems fine just wonky. (As you can tell by her comb lol been that way since she was 8weeks old)

TSC hatchery batch as couple day old chicks.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Tookie]

She probably is one that tends to have a fuller crop and looks larger. I have a hen that's kinda like that.
Check her crop early in the morning before she eats or drinks anything, and make sure it's empty. As long as its empty, I don't think there's anything to worry about!

 

[Lillith37]

Yes I have a hen who has a larger/lower hanging crop like that. It’s not pendulous but probably pendulous-adjacent.

Very important to check in the morning to make sure it’s empty. If not then supportive care like coconut oil, fennel tea, massage etc to help it move along before she starts her day.

With my hen, sometimes she has a very full crop in the morning, sometimes only a little golf ball, sometimes empty. I adjust her care as needed.

If the crop is always full or partially full every morning and never empties by itself then try a crop bra. If the crop is not emptying properly it becomes a breeding ground for yeast and bacteria which will eventually make them sick.

If my hen has a big crop for consecutive mornings, I put her in the bra. She hates it but it works. Then once it’s emptying properly again I let her out of it.

 

[Australorpfamily]

Yes I have a hen who has a larger/lower hanging crop like that. It’s not pendulous but probably pendulous-adjacent.

Very important to check in the morning to make sure it’s empty. If not then supportive care like coconut oil, fennel tea, massage etc to help it move along before she starts her day.

With my hen, sometimes she has a very full crop in the morning, sometimes only a little golf ball, sometimes empty. I adjust her care as needed.

If the crop is always full or partially full every morning and never empties by itself then try a crop bra. If the crop is not emptying properly it becomes a breeding ground for yeast and bacteria which will eventually make them sick.

If my hen has a big crop for consecutive mornings, I put her in the bra. She hates it but it works. Then once it’s emptying properly again I let her out of it.

Thanks, very helpful(both replys) and for my heart too lol

This is her egg from today, and her last three looked just like this one? When she first started laying around 19-20 weeks she had some jumbo 2-3 yolkers. Maybe she's just unique.

Her crop yesterday morning looked empty, I'll check again in morning. We have went from really hot to really cool suddenly too but nothing else has changed.

Thanks everyone

 

[Tookie]

Thanks, very helpful(both replys) and for my heart too lol

This is her egg from today, and her last three looked just like this one? When she first started laying around 19-20 weeks she had some jumbo 2-3 yolkers. Maybe she's just unique.

Her crop yesterday morning looked empty, I'll check again in morning. We have went from really hot to really cool suddenly too but nothing else has changed.

Thanks everyone

Since she's still a new layer, ish, she could still need to get used to the eggs and is having some not normal ones. As long as it doesn't continue for much longer I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Glad to hear her crop is emptying!

 

[Australorpfamily]

So... All winter and even after this post, HeadHen was back to her normal self... She molted in Nov/Dec, but hasn't started laying again(which I know is normal! I wasn't worried about eggs, just an observation)

Noticed her giant crop today, have massaged it, but unfortunately I had to go to work. Will be checking on her in the am and going from there... will also check her roost spot

It feels gritty, like tiny pebbles in a bean bag.