Enormous floppy chest--is this normal

[justlearning]

This is our first time raising 25 cornish cross (we did 2 batches of 5 last year). We are right at 8 weeks and going to be processing soon. A few of our birds have floppy chests--almost looks like a growth. We don't know if this is enlarged breastmeat, or if we have a problem on our hands. We are going to be processing in the next few days so will know soon enough. But with 90 degree temps we were hoping to wait a few more days until it is a little cooler.
Do the chickens have to rest PRIOR to freezing, or can they rest in the fridge when they thaw. Need to know if we are bumming fridge space from friends

 

[crazychickenwom]

Sour crop maybe? I think that is what I am dealing with on one of my 6 week olds... check out the pictures and look it up

 

[justlearning]

I think you may be right. Looks like they will be the first to be butchered.

 

[Erica]

Hi justlearning,

in all my years of chicken keeping I've never had a case of sour crop. Two in one batch would be extremely rare unless there's something quite wrong or they've had a lot of antibiotics without probiotics afterward. I'm sure those with more experience with sour crop could argue the point, this is just my feeling.

More likely in my view they may have pendulous crop (where weak ligaments cause the crop to sag and it also over-fills... these birds do eat a lot so that's reasonably likely) or else ascites, where the whole body tends to get full of excess fluid from over-taxed organs. If it's the latter, an early dispatch would be best to save them a heap of discomfort (and possible early death).

You can certainly freeze them and rest in the fridge later on before cooking them. That's what I do almost all the time anyway.

best wishes
Erica

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

I'm willing to be money that your birds with big floppy chests have Ascites aka congestive heart failure. Do they have purplish combs? These birds are at high risk of heart failure so I would consider getting them butchered fairly quickly. When you butcher they will have a yellow fluid in the body cavity. I've heard that it is still okay to eat them though.

It's okay to freeze them and let them rest while thawing although I rest before freezing.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I suspect that what you are seeing is a very full crop. If you feel, you can tell it is a bag full of grain on the chest. The greedy guts here get huge full crops and it looks like some sort of scary growth on their front.