Flock has enlarged/protruding crops but empty every morning.

[Captain Andrews]

I don't think there's anything in the pumpkin per se that did anything to your chickens. It's very possible that they just gorged themselves on it and were too full temporarily. Maybe they stretched out their crops and now are on their way to pendulous crop, although I don't think that's very likely after just one or two days of overstuffing. Do you have any side view pictures of them with the crops full? The one picture you posted doesn't look concerning, just a bird with a full crop. As long as their crops are empty in the morning, they're fine. Also you're right that in the winter with the short days, they have less overall time to eat, so they might just be compensating by stuffing more in there at a time.

I took these the night following my first reply. The weekend has been busy so I apologize for the delay. Here are the four clearest pictures I could get. If you didn't know. Chickens know when you try to photograph them and instantly become camera shy and very fidgety....

 

[RoyalChick]

I took these the night following my first reply. The weekend has been busy so I apologize for the delay. Here are the four clearest pictures I could get. If you didn't know. Chickens know when you try to photograph them and instantly become camera shy and very fidgety....

Lovely looking lady. Glad she enjoys her food!
I would say you have nothing to worry about as long as she isn't acting unwell. The one thing I would check (and you should check all your chickens for this on a routine basis), is that her crop empties overnight.
Early morning (before daylight) while she is still on the roost is the best time to check this. You can feel all of your chickens so you learn what 'normal' feels like. Basically a normal crop in the morning should be empty and therefore pretty impossible to find the crop when you feel for it.
It is a nice health check routine because generally they don't get upset by it and you get to feel their lovely warm soft feathers while reassuring yourself that there is nothing wrong.

 

[K0k0shka]

I took these the night following my first reply. The weekend has been busy so I apologize for the delay. Here are the four clearest pictures I could get. If you didn't know. Chickens know when you try to photograph them and instantly become camera shy and very fidgety....

She looks fine to me, too. As long as the crop is empty by morning, there's no need to worry. I have a hen and a pullet with big crops like this right now, one is concerning and one is not. The hen has had the full-looking crop for years and it always empties by morning, so I have stopped worrying. I took her to the vet at some point (for something else, but asked about her crop while I was there) and she said the same thing, as long as it empties properly, no need to worry. The pullet also has a full-looking crop, but hers isn't emptying properly. I've been trying to treat her for months, took her to the vet, we tried everything short of surgery but weren't able to find the problem, so right now she's living on borrowed time, as this isn't sustainable long term. She seems active and willing to live, so I'm letting her, but keeping an eye out for when she starts to decline. Her crop is visually a lot bigger than your hen's, and is affecting the pullet's balance when she walks or jumps. It's very visibly not right, and it hasn't fully emptied in a couple of months at this point. I don't even know how she's still alive, but she's still going, poor thing.

 

[Captain Andrews]

Lovely looking lady. Glad she enjoys her food!
I would say you have nothing to worry about as long as she isn't acting unwell. The one thing I would check (and you should check all your chickens for this on a routine basis), is that her crop empties overnight.
Early morning (before daylight) while she is still on the roost is the best time to check this. You can feel all of your chickens so you learn what 'normal' feels like. Basically a normal crop in the morning should be empty and therefore pretty impossible to find the crop when you feel for it.
It is a nice health check routine because generally they don't get upset by it and you get to feel their lovely warm soft feathers while reassuring yourself that there is nothing wrong.

Thank you, this was an ideal learning experience. Concern something was wrong pushed me to learn more, finding out nothing was wrong, was an unexpected turn. Now I am more aware and better able to keep an eye out (regularly) for my chickens health.

She looks fine to me, too. As long as the crop is empty by morning, there's no need to worry. I have a hen and a pullet with big crops like this right now, one is concerning and one is not. The hen has had the full-looking crop for years and it always empties by morning, so I have stopped worrying. I took her to the vet at some point (for something else, but asked about her crop while I was there) and she said the same thing, as long as it empties properly, no need to worry. The pullet also has a full-looking crop, but hers isn't emptying properly. I've been trying to treat her for months, took her to the vet, we tried everything short of surgery but weren't able to find the problem, so right now she's living on borrowed time, as this isn't sustainable long term. She seems active and willing to live, so I'm letting her, but keeping an eye out for when she starts to decline. Her crop is visually a lot bigger than your hen's, and is affecting the pullet's balance when she walks or jumps. It's very visibly not right, and it hasn't fully emptied in a couple of months at this point. I don't even know how she's still alive, but she's still going, poor thing.

I'm sorry to hear about your pullet. Glad she seems to be happy despite the circumstances. Thank you again for your help and input.