crickets

[4citychicks]

Hi everyone, my chicks are 4 weeks old & today I thought it would be a good idea to give them some treats. I bought some large crickets & they went nuts. my barred rocks especially they each ate 10-15 & swallowed them whole. The other 2 took their time, picked them apart & only ate a few each. I soon noticed one of my barred rocks moving her head from side to side & up & down as if she were trying to force the food down. so I picked her up & felt her throat & there was a pretty big lump on the right side. I could feel the legs & body's of the crickets. It was pretty hard as well. The other barred rock had a similar lump as well. They also got sluggish and kind of just stood there as the other chicks picked around the yard. What should I do?

 

[Den in Penn]

Crickets!!!! Yum...Yumm What you were feeling is the full crop. Just like us after a banquet they tend to want to rest and digest the full stomach of food. The barred rock may well have been tring to settle food. By now I'm sure they are back to runnig around.

 

[4citychicks]

Yes you' re right. Everything is digested and back to normal. Thank you. I do have another question though. The floor in my coop is concrete, and outside of the coop is dirt. I' m concerned about cleaning it because the water and what ever cleanser I use will soak into the dirt where they spend almost of their time. Is there a safe cleanser I can use that wont hurt them when they eat the dirt?

 

[Alaskan]

I wouldn't use any cleaner at all, just use a rake to rake out any large clumps.

 

[4citychicks]

Ok i'll give that a try that. Thank you!