distended crop - should I worry?

[Cocotte]

One of my 9 day old EE chicks has a distended crop, I think. Her chest looks a little lopsided, not horribly, but enough that it is noticeable. If I palpate the bulge it feels squashy, and it doesn't seem to be bothering her and she doesn't care if I touch it. It was like that this morning and is not changed this afternoon. Should I be worried? Is there anything I can/should do? She gets chick starter feed, and I have grit free choice in a dish.

 

[dappertophatter]

If she's not in distress, I wouldn't worry. Keep an eye on her, though. If it hasn't changed by TOMORROW morning, I would start to get worried. My guess, however, is that she had a big breakfast and has been chowing down throughout the day.

Thinking about my Cochin girls going after worms. Sometimes they can barely walk back to the coop.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

You brought back memories of when I first realized that the crop was not exactly in the middle but off to one side. Check our your other "well fed" chicks and see if you notice the same thing.

 

[teach1rusl]

And to get a true assessment, you'll have to put away their food this evening so that when you check the crop in the morning, you KNOW that she hasn't had a chance to eat/gorge.

 

[Cocotte]

If I take their food away overnight will they be ok?

 

[Cocotte]

Now the chick with the distended crop still has that little squashy bulge, but its smaller, and the other chick has it too. Do their crops just get like that whenever they eat?

 

[dappertophatter]

Phew! Yup, if everyone's like that, it's just that they had a good breakfast. Glad everything worked out and everyone's OK!

It is so flippin' scary when it looks like something is wrong with one of your birds. I know.

 

[teach1rusl]

Chicks doing well this morning?? It's really unlikely that a chick who eats only chick starter could get an impacted crop. So I hope the crop was alost empty this morning!