chicks with large crop AM UPDATE

[Sgsf]

New to this Chicken stuff here. What are Crops?

 

[nelgkel]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10845 has all the info on anatomy...

ps...welcome to BYC

 

[Sgsf]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10845 has all the info on anatomy...

ps...welcome to BYC

Thank you! I guess that's where the food goes when they consume it, and then overnight it's moved elsewhere (more like moved out....XD)?

 

[nelgkel]

just posted update...crop still large, but down some...will construction sand that is too fine cause a problem??

THANKS!!

 

[HerbiLady]

Quote:
More great info from you Elmo

That all being said (sorry to hijack here!) is it maybe better to give extra protein at night since they'll fill up more then and process it all night long? Or doesn't it make any difference? And should I be worried if I don't notice huge crops at night? Of course, I don't handle my chicks a ton either. I occasionally feel a crop just for fun and education but have never noticed a huge crop?

Phenomenal growth is no joke...my DH doesn't see them 12 times a day like I do

and he came to see them last night and was astounded at their "new" size. Well, he actually came to find ME and not necessarily see the chicks. He was hungry...annoying man!

I did see the foaming yellow poo last week and immediately came on here and researched some poop photos (how ridiculous does that seem????) and sure enough, normal! Ew, but normal! In anything else, yellow foamy poo isn't necessarily a good thing!

 

[elmo]

Herbilady,

I wouldn't worry about feedng anything special before bedtime. If you've got a good quality chick starter, it will have all the protein they need in it. When we were brooding chicks last spring, we got into a little routine. While I was cleaning the brooder, my daughter would play with the chicks on a towel spread out over our coffee table. She'd weigh them and record their weights. Regular weigh ins are something we do with our indoor birds, and it's a great way to chart growth as well as spot any problems that might be developing early on. Weight loss in a chick would be something to pay particular attention to, of course. It helped me relax, a bit, because I could see those gram numbers going up nearly every day, usually by leaps.

Thinking back, I remember we spotted the big crop on our first chick quite suddenly, so they don't have it everyday. It's something we didn't have to feel for, it was obvious visually. They looked like Dolly Parton, but only on the right side (if you know what I mean). It wasn't every night, so I wouldn't worry if you don't see it, as long as your chicks seem to be eating and behaving normally, not acting sick or lethargic. It also may be that yours are too young yet for this stage.

The other thing people often worry about is when they see their chicks stretching their necks and yawning. Newbies often think this is a sign of gapeworm or something else awful, but it's most likely the chick just rearranging food in its crop.

I used to worry about everything last spring, but my five chicks all survived and grew into healthy adults. This year, I'm much more relaxed, but I have mother hens to do all the mothering instead of me, this time. I guess that makes me a chicken grandmother!

 

[HerbiLady]

Quote:
Thanks! Hard to believe you were nervous last year like I am this year, since you're certainly a calm voice of reason now. I guess that comes with being a "grandma" eh?

Much appreciated info!

I do see the stretching yawning thing...they were doing it last night with some grass. That didn't freak me out at all (one thing that didn't for a change!) My chicks are a lot of fun right now but I am still paranoid I'll come home to a bloody rear-end.

Maybe I started with too many chicks this second time around...the pressure to entertain, properly feed and have enough brooder space for 29 chicks is a little hairy for me with everything else going on right now. I'll get through it though!

 

[elmo]

It's always easy to be calm ...about someone else's chicks! I still fret and worry about our new batch, even going out during a rainstorm a few nights ago to check on them with their hen tucked inside a closed coop. And I'm always counting chicks under her when I close them in at night to make sure one hasn't gotten lost. Where could it go, my husband asks me?

I'm worrying about different things this year, though.